


Idolize

by bulletincookie



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Emotionally Constipated Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Fluff, Good Parent Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Idiots in Love, Love at First Sight, M/M, Secret Relationship, Soft Jaskier | Dandelion, Some Plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-02-18 23:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 32,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22867912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bulletincookie/pseuds/bulletincookie
Summary: Ciri's favorite musician just happens to have a concert happening in the city near her birthday, and she convinces Geralt to get tickets. Geralt was expecting the audience full of screaming teenage girls. What he wasn't expecting was to get a crush on the singer.It's fine though, it's not like he'll just run into someone famous on the street right?
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 519
Kudos: 1107
Collections: Interesting Character and/or Interesting Relationship Development





	1. Hell

**Author's Note:**

> Me: -already has a multichapter fic in the works-  
> Also me: hey what if I started another fic
> 
> A big thanks to the Toss a Coin 18+ server for helping me develop this idea!

This was Hell. Geralt would have been convinced that he had died and went to Hell, if it weren't for Ciri cheering next to him. He already made a note in his head to pick up some lemon and honey tea for her after the concert was over.

Somehow, the stars aligned just right to have Ciri's favorite singer performing in town close to her birthday. She begged Geralt to let her take the day off of school, and to get her a ticket. Of course, since she was only 15, Geralt insisted on going with her to make sure nobody tried anything.

Unfortunately, this meant Geralt was now surrounded by a bunch of teenage girls screaming and singing along when the chorus of a song hit. He stuck out like a sore thumb, dressed in dark clothes and a leather jacket in a sea of colorful clothes and glitter.

His head hurt. He couldn't imagine how bad it would be if he didn't think to bring earplugs. It was just enough to muffle the screaming, but not enough to block out the singer's voice. He put on a deep set frown that stayed there the entire time to try to convince himself he didn't actually enjoy the man's voice.

It was inappropriate, how his jeans were so tight and ripped in a few strategic places on his thighs in between embroidered patches of flowers that crept up his calves, and when he turned around, there were some even on the curve of his ass. They matched the flowers embroidered on a ripped up jean vest, that hung barely over a tank top to show off his lean muscled arms. How could he present himself to a bunch of teenagers like that?

Geralt grimaced. He would have to be talking with Ciri about her choice in musicians. At least he seemed to be subdued with his dance moves as he swayed around with the microphone.

He was almost thankful when the songs started to slow down. The songs turned softer and sad, as the man crooned into the microphone above the audience. Geralt could see even from here that his skin was flushed all over from the exertion of the concert and sweat was beaded on his forehead. He wondered how tough it was for him, to sing out for hours without much of a break.

"Alright, this is the last song of the night my dears! You've all been a wonderful crowd!" the singer called, followed by a wave of cheering and screaming from the crowd as the soft guitar started up.

" _The fairer sex they often call it…_ " the man started, his eyes lidding as he swayed back and forth. Geralt tuned out the crowd singing along around him as the song continued. He had been wondering why so many cared for his music. It was clear this was his most popular song, the audience was singing along to every word.

The song itself was melancholic, singing of…something Geralt couldn't entirely understand. It pulled him in, a whirlwind of emotion. Fitting, he realized, when the singer murmured out something about a storm on the horizon. He sang this song the most passionately of all of the songs of the night. Geralt couldn't help but wonder if the others were truly just warmup.

Hsi voice broke on a few of the words, and Geralt felt his heart skip at the sound. His voice truly was heavenly. And he wasn't too bad looking now that he wasn't prancing around the stage making a fool of himself trying to look cool for the audience. The singer swooned and bent back, so far that Geralt was worried he would break something or fall over, but somehow he stayed upright. The way the stage lights caught on his skin, sheened with sweat, made him look as if he was glowing.

The song suddenly took a sharp turn as the singer gasped in a breath. His eyes, which were traveling over the crowd, locked suddenly on Geralt's.

"I'm weak, my love, and I am _wanting_ ," he sang, stepping on the stage in Geralt's direction. Geralt felt everything else melt away. Surely this man had a magic about him. His vision blurred at the edges, he could only focus on the man singing on stage. He couldn't process the words he was saying afterwards, his heartbeat was too loud in his ears.

But then the singer forcibly turned away to repeat the chorus once more. Geralt tried to shake his head to clear it. No, there was nothing different about the way the singer looked at him. He was just one face in a sea of faces, the singer surely saw thousands upon thousands of faces each day. He probably wasn't even into men, with how much he appealed to a female audience with his songs.

He was in a daze as the singer finished. His breath was shallow. He couldn't hear what he was saying. Probably thanking the audience, promoting something, the usual. He surely imagined seeing the singer glance back towards him once last time before turning and striding off the stage, his hips swaying.

The entire way home, Ciri wouldn't stop chattering about the concert.

"Did you see when he looked over where we were at? His voice is even better in person! This was the best birthday gift!"

Geralt would later feel a warmth at how much Ciri loved and appreciated the gift, but for now he was still in a daze. Those bright blue eyes seemed to bore into his soul, and he was glad Ciri kept the conversation up and he only had to give quiet hums in response occasionally.

He completely forgot to stop by the store for tea for Ciri. He went straight home, only gave a small nod to Ciri when she yawned and said good night, and immediately went to his bathroom to splash his face with cold water. It didn't help.

It took filling the sink in cold water and submerging his face in it for several seconds before he was finally able to breathe again. He looked at himself in the mirror, his eyes wide as he gasped for air. He gripped the edge of the counter and hunched over slightly as he tried to steady his breathing. His eyes drifted shut and he leaned forward until his forehead was pressed against the cool mirror.

"Fuck."


	2. Coffee Run

Geralt tried everything to forget the beautiful blue-eyed singer after that, but to no avail. Ciri adored him, and now that she saw him at the concert, he couldn't avoid his music. She played it in the house, when she was doing homework. She played it while she was getting ready for school. She hummed sometimes over meals. Whenever she played the song that had grabbed Geralt's attention at the concert, he would instantly get transported back to that night. Sometimes his mind would go further, where he wasn't surrounded by a bunch of teenagers, and it was just him and the singer, with the singer stalking towards him with that same grace and focus. He shut those thoughts down quickly.

"What was his name again?" Geralt asked as they walked out of their house, trying to pass it off as nonchalantly as possible.

"You went to the concert with me," Ciri said, exasperated. "It's _Jaskier_ , dad."

"Jaskier. Right." The name felt light in Geralt's mouth. Jaskier. That was the name of the brunet who haunted his thoughts and dreams constantly for the past few weeks.

"Can we get coffee?"

Geralt grunted and rubbed his eyes. Yes, coffee would do him some good. Maybe it would get him awake enough to quit thinking about that damn singer. There was time before Ciri had to get to school anyways. "Sure."

Ciri grinned and led the way to their usual café on the way to her school. Well, it was sort of on the way. It was off of the main street, and down a small alleyway in a hole in the wall. Rough looking on the outside, but the interior was rather nice and they had the best damn coffee around.

Geralt led the way in, thankful that the shop was empty as usual. Well, there was one man in the corner, but neither of them paid any mind to him as they walked up to the counter. It wasn't until Geralt ordered his black coffee and let Ciri ramble off her long, complicated order that he let his eyes drift over to the stranger.

His blood froze as his amber eyes met bright blue ones that quickly averted themselves. Ciri gave his arm a small poke.

"Dad," she said, and Geralt cleared his throat as he realized that the cashier was waiting for the payment.

"Right." He absentmindedly handed over the money, and dropped the change in the tip jar as Ciri bounded over to the other side of the counter to wait for her order. He spared a glance at the man in the corner again, only to find said man right next to him with gleaming eyes.

Jaskier.

"Hel--" Jaskier was cut off by a loud gasp as Ciri raced over.

"You! You're--!" she cried, nearly hyperventilating. Jaskier gave a small smile and waved a little to her.

"Hello," he said. Geralt had to give him credit, when Ciri pulled a poster out of her backpack and shoved it at him, he only flinched back a little.

"Can you sign this please?!" she asked, bouncing a little in excitement. Jaskier laughed and pulled a golden sharpie out of his pocket. Geralt wondered if he got this often, if he carried around markers like that.

"Of course. What's your name?"

"Ciri!" The girl looked like she might burst. Geralt put a hand on her shoulder to try to remind her to calm down, even though his own heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest. She gripped the poster to her chest when Jaskier handed it back, his scrawling writing and signature in the corner.

"Uh.." Geralt choked when Jaskier looked at him expectantly. Did he have something? He patted his pockets. Only his phone. "Can..you sign my..phone case?" he asked, holding his phone out with the smooth back facing up.

"Dad, I thought you didn't like his music!" Ciri interjected, and Geralt gave her a small nudge to try to quiet her.

Jaskier however didn't seem to be deterred. He only laughed, and Geralt swore his heart was going to stop right there and then. It was a beautiful laugh, light and carefree.

"And your name?" Jaskier asked, though there was a purr to his voice.

Geralt opened his mouth, having to clear his throat again after his first attempt only came out a small whisper. He could feel Ciri's grin, and knew he would get hell for embarrassing himself in front of her favorite artist later. "Geralt."

"Ooh, tough," Jaskier said as he scribbled something on the back of the phone case. He perked up when he spotted the small horse charm dangling from the corner of it. "Do you like horses?"

That was a conversation Geralt could talk about without choking. "I have one. Her name is Roach. She's stabled up at Bluegrass." He took his phone back from Jaskier, trying not to think about how warm his fingers were when they brushed with his own. He turned the screen on, trying not to fumble too much with it. The background was of his beautiful chestnut mare, almost posing for the camera.

"Oh she's beautiful," Jaskier gasped. "I've always wanted a horse, but well, I've heard they take a lot of time."

"They do. A lot of time and money. Especially if you show them. I used--"

"Dad, don't bore Jaskier with rambling about your horse," Ciri cut in, and Geralt cleared his throat.

"Right." He stuck his phone back in his pocket and grabbed his coffee from the end of the counter. He gestured with his head to Ciri. "She needs to get to school. Thank you for the signatures."

"No I don't," Ciri spoke up. "In fact, today is a holiday. No school. So we can spend the whole day with you, Jaskier."

"Ciri. Leave the man alone," Geralt grumbled. "It's too early to be harassed."

"Hardly a harassment," Jaskier said with a grin. "But I do have places to be, unfortunately. It was wonderful meeting you two."

Geralt nodded while Ciri beamed and threw her arms around the popstar.

"Thank you! My friends are going to be so jealous," she said, and bounced back to get her coffee order now that it was finally ready.

"Ciri, keep where you met him to yourself," Geralt muttered to her. "Let him get coffee in peace."

"Do you come here often?" Ciri asked, looking at Jaskier with wide eyes.

"This is the first time I've been here," Jaskier admitted, and then spared a glance at Geralt. "I might come back, though."

"Least shit coffee in town," Geralt said with a sip of his own coffee.

"You come here often then, I take it?"

He shrugged. "Once in a while."

"Well, maybe we'll run into each other more," Jaskier said, his eyes twinkling. "I'm in town quite a bit, when I'm not touring."

"We're coming here every day," Ciri said to Geralt.

"No we're not," Geralt replied flatly, and Jaskier laughed again.

"Ah but I really do have to get going. Thank you for the lovely conversation!" the singer said, giving one last wave to them before he pulled his hood up and left.

"Did that just happen? I'm not dreaming right?" Ciri rambled as they walked out soon after.

Geralt only gave a small hum. He tried to focus on the bitter taste of black coffee to keep his mind off of the interaction he just had. The singer seemed so normal. He wouldn't have known if it wasn't for those gorgeous blue eyes that stared right into him. Did Jaskier remember him from the concert? He didn't give any indication that he did. But then again, why would he remember him?

"I wonder if we'll get mentioned on his Twitter," Ciri said as she strode beside him, back on the way to school. She gasped and whined. "Oh, we should have gotten a photo!"

"You'll be fine." Geralt wanted so desperately to pull his phone out and look at the message that Jaskier had written on his case. He hoped it wasn't anything scathing because of Ciri's comment. He gripped his coffee tight and kept his other hand in the pocket with his wallet to keep from checking his phone like a ridiculous teenager.

Ciri prattled on the rest of the way, practically skipping to school. She only gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before she sprinted into the building and out of sight.

Geralt sighed and started the walk back home. He managed to make it back, and took two steps before he was scrambling to pull his phone out of his pocket. He yanked it out and flipped it over, seeing the golden writing scrawled on the back. It was only Jaskier's signature, with a heart.

Why had he asked for his name then?

He was sticking his phone back in his pocket when he noticed a small card on the floor. He picked it up and read it. It was a business card, for Jaskier's website and his agent's info. When had he gotten this? He flipped the card over and sucked in a sharp breath.

On the back was a number, different than the one on the front, written in golden sharpie. The words "text me" were scribbled under it with another few hearts.


	3. Send Tweet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The alternative title for this chapter is Jaskier Cannot Keep His Mouth Shut
> 
> special thanks to my dad for giving me plenty of examples on how a boomer texts

The thought of Jaskier's personal phone number sitting at home, waiting for him to text, was a heavy weight on Geralt's mind all day. It had been a long while since he had flirted, even longer since he had to go through the steps of dating and exchanging numbers and texting. What was the proper amount to text someone you had a ridiculous crush over? Was it different because Jaskier was a celebrity?

He took a deep breath and slowly hissed it out while he went back to counting inventory. He couldn't think about that right now. He couldn't think about Jaskier, a handsome star who could flirt with anyone he wanted and immediately get them, deciding to give Geralt his phone number. Maybe he gave his phone number out to all of the parents with kids that were fans. Surely it wasn't anything personal, maybe it was just something for tickets at a cheaper price. A ploy to get Geralt to give him more money.

The more he tried to put his mind away from Jaskier and to his work, the more it seemed like the universe was intent on laughing at him. The music playing over the speakers in the store was automatically hooked up to a radio that played trending music, and it seemed like Jaskier's music was even more popular than normal today. At least once every thirty minutes, one of his songs would play over the speakers and ring in his ears. His singing really did sound better in person.

Geralt wondered what Jaskier's singing sounded like, when he wasn't trying to sing to be heard through a scratchy microphone over a screaming crowd. He wasn't sure if his heart would be able to take Jaskier singing "my love" if it was just them. It would be too easy to imagine Jaskier was calling him that, too easy to lean forward and kiss him…

Geralt set a box down a bit heavier than he might have needed to in order to clear the thought from his head. No thinking about kissing handsome singers while at work. Or at any time, for that matter. No sense in daydreaming about the impossible, that was for teenagers.

 _Was it impossible though_ , a voice in the back of his head asked. He did have Jaskier's phone number, something he probably didn't just give out to anyone. A brief thought flashed across his mind of selling the knowledge off, but guilt wiped it out as quickly as it came. Jaskier trusted him enough to give him his personal phone number. He trusted that Geralt, a man he approached in a coffee shop on a whim, wouldn't sell his phone number off like that. Geralt wondered if Jaskier just didn't have common sense, though. He certainly didn't give his phone number out to anyone, and especially not to random strangers, no matter how attractive.

So why was he so heavily considering texting Jaskier when he got home? Then again, Jaskier had more to lose if Geralt did something with his phone number. It would be rude to take advantage of that. The least he could do is text him to figure out if it was actually a ploy to get him to buy more tickets.

With that in mind, Geralt worked harder, as if it would make the time go by faster. He was spurred on whenever one of Jaskier's songs played over the speakers. Somehow, it gave him new energy to keep working, even when his arms and legs got tired. And in the back of his head, the phone number on the business card at home was a constant presence. He never felt the need to check his phone, but here he was, resisting the urge to pull his phone out to stare at the golden signature on the back of its case.

When his shift was over, Geralt couldn't race home fast enough. He knew Ciri was surely already home, but he would worry about her and cooking up dinner for her in five minutes, after he sent a text to Jaskier.

Except of course, it wasn't that simple. His phone must have died while he was at work. He cursed and fished out his charger from the mess on his nightstand to plug it in, and by that point Ciri had heard him and wandered to stand in the doorway.

"How was work?" she asked.

"Good. Went by too slowly," was all Geralt grunted in reply. He stood back up to leave his room, but Ciri didn't budge. He met her eyes and was faced with the mischief of a 15 year old who knew something he didn't. "What?"

"Have you seen Jaskier's Twitter?"

"No, I don't care what's on his Twitter." He did.

"Look." Ciri pulled out her phone, and she brought up Jaskier's Twitter. She handed the phone to Geralt, who squinted at the screen. "Just scroll down. Stop when you get to the coffee picture."

> @jaskierofficial, 4:27pm  
> sometimes u have to cry on the floor of ur bathroom with a bottle of vodka. do what u need to cope.
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 3:42pm  
> IM GOING TO DIE ALONE AND BROKENHEARTED.
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 3:35pm  
> how long is it normal to wait for a text back before u start crying
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 2:46pm  
> oh no what if he follows me on here
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 2:45pm  
> keep this between all 1.1 million of us
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 2:44pm  
> I MIGHT BE IN LOVE
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 2:34pm  
> his hair looked like he rolled out of bed and put it in a ponytail and called it a day it was so hot
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 2:32pm  
> imagine how a sexy rock sounds. now make it into a voice. thats what he sounded like.
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 2:25pm  
> his eyes were brighter than golden fields of dandelions i could have stared at him all day
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 2:20pm  
> theres a riding joke in there somewhere
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 2:18pm  
> also he has a horse as if he couldnt be hotter
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 2:07pm  
> i did ask for his name but i was too distracted by how hot his voice was to remember
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 2:05pm  
> no mystery hot guy has not texted me back yet
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 1:30pm  
> shit i forgot to say the coffee line
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 9:08am  
> how long before i cry over not getting a text back.maybe ill take a nap to make time go faster.
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 7:28am  
> i gave him my phone number my hands are shaking guys im so nervous
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 6:45am  
> im gonna talk to him
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 6:40am  
> thats a good line im using it
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 6:39am  
> I ordered my coffee extra hot
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 6:39am  
> theres a guy in this coffee shop thats hotter than my coffee
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 6:30am  
> Good morning everyone!

At the last text, there was a photo of a mug of black coffee, in one of the mugs from the coffee shop Geralt and Ciri were at that morning. Geralt stopped and furrowed his brow, then went back and read the texts back in order.

"So what?" he asked as he handed the phone back. "He was gushing over someone else."

"Did you get his phone number?!"

"No."

"So he just happened to see another guy at the coffee shop, at the same time we were there, and talk to him at the exact same time, and the other guy just happened to have a horse too?"

"We can't be sure that was actually him this morning." It was, there was no denying it. The picture of the coffee shop, the pictures of him on his profile, they all pointed to it being truly Jaskier that they ran into that morning. But Geralt would sooner be damned than admit it.

Ciri huffed. "If you break his heart because you don't text him back and at least turn him down gently I'll never forgive you."

"Why not? Maybe it'll give him inspiration for his next song."

"So you did get his phone number!"

Shit. Geralt pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, I didn't. Go do your homework." He gently shooed Ciri out of his doorway and stepped past her. Ciri frowned at him and crossed her arms, but turned and went to the kitchen table, where her books and folders were already spread out.

Geralt sighed and went about "cleaning up". In reality, he had forgotten where he put that card, but he couldn't be obvious about it. He would never hear the end of it from Ciri.

However, he cleaned and subtly checked everywhere in the house that he might have been with the card, with no luck.

"Looking for something?"

He looked over his shoulder at Ciri, who was smirking at him from the table. "No."

"You sure? No phone numbers from famous singers?"

"I'm sure." Geralt sat down on the couch to take a small break, and to think. What had he done with that card?

"So if I found something with Jaskier's contact info on it, with another phone number written on the back, I should just rip it up?"

"You--!" Geralt stood to his feet and looked at her with a light glare. "Where did you put it?"

Ciri kept grinning. "I'll tell you, if you promise to get backstage passes before you break his heart."

This little… "You didn't text him yourself, right?"

"Nope."

"Didn't give the number to anyone else?"

"Of course not."

"Fine. I'll ask him for backstage passes," Geralt relented. Ciri beamed and flipped open the cover of her math textbook, where the small business card was hidden. She picked it up and held it out for the second it took Geralt to stride across the room to the kitchen table and snatch it back.

"I should ground you," he grumbled, turning the card over to make sure Ciri hadn't messed with the phone number and hearts on the back. Still as crisp as that morning.

"Would've been easier if you didn't try to lie. Now go text him!" Ciri insisted, giving him a nudge. "And remember the tickets!"

Geralt grunted and turned to walk back into his bedroom, closing and locking the door behind himself. He didn't need Ciri charging in to look over his shoulder at the conversation.

At least in the time it took him to clean everything and get the card back, his phone was well charged. He turned it on and sat on the edge of his bed as he waited, rubbing his thumb back and forth over the card.

As soon as his phone was on, he started up a new message and carefully typed in the number. But when he looked at the text box, what was he supposed to say? ' _Hey it's the mystery hot guy from this morning, I just got out of work but my daughter was holding your number ransom until I promised to extort free backstage tickets from you._ '?

Actually that wasn't half bad. He went ahead and texted that. At least he was upfront about the tickets deal he made.

He wasn't expecting a text back for a while, since it sounded like Jaskier might have gone and gotten drunk. But as soon as he set his phone down, it buzzed. And then it buzzed again. And again. He picked it back up and checked it.

 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** Hello! I hope work was good today :)  
 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** I'll ask my manager about the tickets  
 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** Wait do you follow my Twitter

 **[Text to: Jaskier?]** Work was shit.

 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** Oh no :( What do you do for work?

 **[Text to: Jaskier?]** Retail.

 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** I've been there  
 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** Wait you didn't answer my question do you follow me on Twitter

Geralt had half a mind to not answer him. In fact, he went about answering a couple other messages from friends first. But after flipping Eskel off for saying a white goat looked like him, another text popped up.

 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** pls answer me how did u know i called u mystery hot guy

 **[Text to: Jaskier?]** My daughter does...she cornered me about it when I got home.

The gray bubble indicating typing popped up for a few seconds, then disappeared, then popped up again, only to disappear again. Geralt sat and waited for a response, but the bubble never came again.

A minute later, Ciri's laughter from the kitchen could be heard, and Geralt left his room to investigate. Ciri had her head on the table, her face in her arms as her shoulders shook with laughter.

"What's so funny about math?" Geralt asked with a frown. Ciri held up her phone wordlessly, as she continued to laugh. It was opened on Jaskier's Twitter again, but now there was a new tweet.

> @jaskierofficial, 5:37pm  
> mystery hot guy saw my tweets about him pls god let me drop dead right here

Geralt couldn't help but chuckle a bit at that. "Well, he did openly declare it in front of a million people."

"So you texted him?" Ciri asked, looking up at him expectantly.

"Do your homework." Geralt ruffled her hair when she complained and he went to sprawl out on the couch. Still no text back.

 **[Text to: Jaskier?]** Please do not drop dead yet. Let me treat you to dinner first…but keep it off of your Twitter.

He turned his phone screen off, resolutely ignoring its near frantic buzzing as he went about finding more to clean to try to calm his heart.


	4. Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This quick update brought to you by the fic [To Sleep Perchance To](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22391860) by [sospes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sospes), which has such beautifully written angst that struck so deep and was so on point that I needed to write this cheesy and awkward ass date immediately to cheer myself up (its a really good fic, 10000/10 would recommend if you like hurt/comfort)

As it turned out, Jaskier was free that night for dinner. Except he didn’t want to go out while he was with Geralt, because after the large amount of tweets he sent out about Geralt, the paparazzi were sure to hone in and harass the hell out of them. Geralt was about to shrug it off, call it a loss, and move on, but apparently Ciri was having none of that because when Geralt got up to go to the bathroom, he left his phone on the couch for two minutes.

In those two minutes, Ciri swiped his phone, unlocked it (how did she know his password?) sent a text to Jaskier with their address, and asked for his favorite pizza order. Geralt walked back in to see her giggling to herself on the couch, his phone in her hand, and he growled and snatched it away from her.

“What did you--” He stopped as the phone buzzed in his hand, and he checked it with a deep frown.

 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** that sounds great! ill order the pizza and be over  
 **[Text from: Jaskier?** ] anything else i should bring  
 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** booze, snacks, condoms, brownies, extra blanket

Geralt choked at seeing the last text, and he quickly hid the phone from Ciri when she popped up to try to read it. He gently pushed her away. “Go over to Eskel’s.”

“What? Why?” she whined. “I want to see Jaskier too.”

“You can see him some other time.”

“Can I go over to mom’s instead?”

Geralt had a brief flashback to when he last sent Ciri over to Yennefer’s house without warning. As much as he wanted Ciri out as soon as possible, the chewing out he had received from Yennefer and Triss last time was not worth it. “It’s a bit late, she might not be ready for you. Go ask Eskel to show you the goat he found that looks like me. And bring your homework with you.”

“I finished it all.”

“Do you want to go visit Vesemir instead and have him check it all over?”

“No.” With that, Ciri immediately started to pack up all of her school supplies and slung her backpack over her shoulder.

“I’ll come by to pick you up later,” Geralt promised, ruffling her hair a bit. “And I’ll buy you a milkshake tomorrow too.”

“I’m getting the biggest one,” Ciri huffed.

“Of course.” Geralt leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “Be safe.”

“It’s just a few minutes away dad, I won’t die.”

“I know. Text me when you get there.”

“Okay.” Ciri gave him a quick hug. “Love you.”

“I love you too,” Geralt said, a small smile on his face.

“Not as much as you love _Jaskier_ ,” Ciri teased. She bolted out of the door, laughing, too fast for Geralt to catch her and reprimand her. As the door slammed shut behind her, Geralt groaned and flopped down on the couch. He checked his phone again to respond.

 **[Text to: Jaskier?]** No, only yourself is enough.

 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** i like a well prepared man ;)

 **[Text to: Jaskier?]** We are not doing anything inappropriate tonight.

He realized he needed to warn Eskel that Ciri was coming over. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

 **[Text to: Slightly Less Asshole]** I have a date coming over tonight...Ciri’s on her way over. Make sure she does her homework.

 **[Text from: Slightly Less Asshole]** I’m teaching her how to throw daggers for this

 **[Text from: Jaskier?** ] by my definition of inappropriate or urs  
 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** if ur daughter is there we should go w urs

 **[Text to: Jaskier?]** She isn’t here.

 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** oh good so were going by mine

 **[Text to: Jaskier?]** You will be lucky if you get a hug at this rate.

 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** playing hard to get? ;)  
 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** i love a good challenge

Geralt didn’t even bother gracing that with a reply. He tossed his phone back onto the couch and heaved a deep sigh. Why did he agree to this? He shouldn’t have agreed to treat the stupid singer to dinner-- _Wait_. It was supposed to be his treat. He snatched up his phone, his lips twisted in a sneer.

 **[Text to: Jaskier?]** I said I would treat you to dinner.

 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** pizzas already on its way u can pay me back  
 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** not in sex  
 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** unless u want to pay me back in sex  
 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** u dont seem like the guy to pay back with sex

 **[Text to: Jaskier?]** I’m not.

 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** just pay me back whenever nbd  
 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** or u can pay for the next date  
 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** if there is a next date no pressure

Geralt felt a strange twist in his gut at the thought of there being a second date. Why would a pop star want to go on a date with him, much less a _second_ one?

 **[Text to: Jaskier?]** We’ll see.

 **[Text from: Jaskier?]** ok yeah cool right then ill pop on over be there in a min

How did this man end up being so cute even in his texts? More importantly, why did Geralt get the feeling that Jaskier was nervous about this? If anyone should be nervous, it should be him. He was about to have a famous person at his place, eating greasy delivery pizza, watching something probably shitty on the TV, and dealing with Geralt, who had no idea how acceptable it was to act on a first date with someone, and now the stakes were higher because it was someone _famous_.

He looked around. Suddenly, the place seemed like a mess. How fast could he clean up before Jaskier got there? He’d have to find out. He turned into a whirlwind of cleaning, making sure the carpet and floorboards were perfect, that there wasn’t a single dish left in the sink to clean, that everything and anything that wouldn’t be needed for the date was out of sight. He even folded his softest blanket over the back of the sofa, just in case it got cold. Should he crack the windows to make it just on the edge of cold? No, that was ridiculous and obsessive.

Just as he was finishing up cleaning the bathroom, he heard the buzzer. He jolted and nearly tripped in his haste to get to the door, slamming on the button to unlock it. He opened up the door in anticipation, only for his stomach to drop when it was only the delivery girl. He gave a polite nod to her and signed for the two pizzas, and took them from her. He gave her a generous tip and sent her on her way. He sighed as he kicked the door closed behind himself, and set the two pizzas on the coffee table to wait. His phone buzzed and he checked it, thankful that it wasn't a last minute cancellation. 

**[Text from: Ciri]** Made it! Don't have too much fun without me

At least he knew Ciri got to Eskel's safe. Now there was even more agonizing waiting. He could go back to cleaning, but what if he didn’t hear Jaskier buzzing in? But then again, what if the state of his flat disgusted Jaskier? He settled on light cleaning, which was regular cleaning except Geralt stopped every few seconds whenever he thought he heard something that sounded like the buzzer.

Then he realized he was still in his work uniform. He immediately stripped off his uniform, and was just pulling his trousers on, when of course the door buzzed.

The moment the buzzer rang out, he scrambled to get to it and pressed on the button. He tried to compose himself, his chest heaving. Wait, he was still shirtless. Shit. He could hear the footsteps coming up the stairs too quickly. Greet Jaskier at the door shirtless or leave him waiting at the door for a minute while he got a shirt on and keep his dignity? Dignity it was. Every light knock on the door felt like a stab to his chest as he went back to his room to tug on the first shirt he grabbed.

He raced back and pulled open the door, putting on his best nonchalant face. It was hard to keep it up though, when Jaskier was standing there with a bright smile on his face, in a plain tee and those damn flower embroidered trousers.

“You came,” Geralt choked out, stepping to the side so Jaskier could come in.

“Of course I did. I can’t embarrass myself further by standing you up after everything I said about you,” Jaskier replied, then grimaced. “Sorry about that, by the way.”

“I don’t care.” Geralt grimaced too. That sounded wrong. “Er, it was flattering. I don’t care about the publicity.”

Jaskier smiled again. “Great!” he said, in a voice that was just barely on the edge of strained.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity to Geralt. What should he say? ‘Make yourself at home’? No, that was too casual, they weren’t on that level of familiarity yet. ‘Have a seat’? Too formal, he wasn’t doing an interview. He needed to say something. While he usually was fine with silence, this was unbearable.

“Pizza’s getting cold,” he grunted. Perfect.

“Right! Yes, of course,” Jaskier said with a small laugh, and he sat down on one end of the couch. So he did want his own personal space after all. Were the texts just empty flirtations? Geralt sat on the other end. Jaskier gave him an odd look for it, but looked away with a smile before Geralt could look into it too closely. He opened up the two boxes, and looked back at Geralt.

“Where’s your plates? I’ll get us a couple,” he offered.

“I’ll get them,” Geralt said, immediately standing and striding into the kitchen area to pull out two plates while silently cursing himself for not thinking of it sooner. He also grabbed the roll of paper towels to bring back as well. He automatically sat in the middle of the couch, but tensed up as he realized his mistake and pointedly scooted away from Jaskier.

“Sorry,” he muttered, handing him a plate.

Jaskier gave him a confused look “For what?”

“Sat too close.”

There was a moment of silence, and then it was filled with Jaskier’s laughter. That beautiful, sweet laughter that made a small smile tug at Geralt’s lips.

“You can sit as close as you want.”

Well. That was encouraging. Geralt moved to sit back in the middle of the couch, and Jaskier scooted a bit just enough that their knees brushed when he leaned in to get his pizza. Geralt swallowed the lump in his throat and moved to get his own pizza. He looked up when Jaskier cleared his throat.

“Ah..I don’t mean to be rude, I really don’t, but…” Jaskier looked away, biting his lip. “...What’s your name again?”

Geralt blinked at him, and smirked. “I’m not telling you a second time.”

“I’m sorry I forgot your name, okay! But I was half awake this morning.”

“What was it you said? A ‘sexy rock’?”

Jaskier choked and his shoulders hunched slightly. “I hope this pizza was poisoned.”

“I hope not. That’d pull too much attention.”

“It’s okay, just wear your shirt inside out like you are now. They won’t bother you for long.”

Geralt immediately looked down, being greeted with the inked label of his shirt right on his collar. “Fuck.”

Jaskier laughed again, though it quickly stopped in a punched-out sound when Geralt ripped his shirt off to fix it and tug it back on. Geralt looked back at him, those blue eyes wide and his mouth hanging open slightly. “What?”

“You could snap me in half, and I would thank you,” Jaskier whispered.

This only made Geralt more confused. “Why would I? And why thank me for killing you?”

Jaskier gave a strangled chuckle. “It’s..a saying. You’re, uh, really built. _Very_ built. Do you work out?”

“Sometimes. Lifting heavy things is my job.”

“How much can you lift?”

“Don’t know. Been a while since I checked.”

“Can you lift me?”

Geralt looked at him with his brows raised, and Jaskier laughed weakly.

“Sorry, sorry, just curious is all--” He stopped rambling when Geralt got up and set his plate down. “What are you-- _oh_.”

Geralt scooped him up in his arms easily, looking at Jaskier with a deadpan expression. Jaskier gripped onto his plate as if his life depended on it.

“You’re lighter than I thought you’d be,” Geralt noted.

That snapped Jaskier out of his daze. “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Means you need to eat more.” Geralt easily set him back down on the sofa and sat back down next to him, and gave Jaskier’s pizza box a small nudge towards him.

“I’m on a very strict diet for my image, I really shouldn’t--” Jaskier started, but at a strict look from Geralt, quickly nodded and took another slice. Geralt nodded, contented with that for now, and grabbed the remote.

“Any preferences on what to watch?” he asked.

“Anything that isn’t my music,” Jaskier sighed as he munched on his pizza.

Geralt glanced at him and waited for Netflix to load. “Thought you loved your music.”

“It’s nice to get a break,” Jaskier admitted. He looked down at his trousers, trying to find a loose thread to pick at with his free hand. “Everyone likes my music, and it’s great, but...nobody treats me like a person anymore. I hardly have privacy, or people are scared to approach me because I’m famous. As if that makes me different. I have to wear fashionable clothes, even if they are uncomfortable and make my legs numb.”

Geralt was suddenly too aware of how tight Jaskier’s clothes were, and not in a good way. “Borrow mine.”

“What?” Jaskier looked at him shocked, his face flushing.

Geralt was just as shocked that those words left his mouth, but it was too late to back out. “Did those pants cut off blood to your brain?” he asked, and gestured to the door that led into his bedroom. “My room’s there. Go get some clothes from there that are more comfortable.”

“I-- okay.” Jaskier looked at him amazed, and set his plate down on the coffee table to scurry into Geralt’s room. He closed the door behind him, and Geralt tried not to think about how he just let a stranger into his home, let said stranger _touch him_ , and is now letting said stranger go into his bedroom without supervision to rummage around in his wardrobe to have his pick of Geralt’s clothes. Except it wasn’t a stranger, it was Jaskier. A tired musician that just wanted a break. Geralt knew that feeling all too well.

However, nothing in the world could have prepared him for Jaskier stepping out of the room in his clothes, which were a bit big on him but still stayed on well enough. The shirt hung low and revealed a thatch of chest hair, and exposed his collar. Geralt didn’t look down to see how the trackpants fit. He instead focused on Jaskier shuffling back to the couch and flopping down on it, settling much more comfortably against the armrest.

“I can’t tell you how much this means,” he whispered, looking at Geralt with bright blue eyes full of gratitude.

Geralt felt at a loss for words. “Hm.” He turned back to the television to continue looking through Netflix for something to watch, hoping the heat in his cheeks wasn’t as visible as it felt.


	5. Date Ideas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to pause writing this chapter several times because of the secondhand embarrassment.
> 
> NOW WITH LOVELY ART THAT I COMMISSIONED FROM MARBLEDGUMMIES2 SEE IT AT THE END AND CRY WITH ME

The two sat in comfortable silence for a while after that. Not complete silence, but there wasn't awkward small talk and trying to get to know each other. Geralt figured that could come later. For now just enjoying company was good enough for him.

It seemed to be enough for Jaskier too, who idly tapped away at his phone while a show played on the TV. Geralt wasn't paying it much mind either, he was too focused on the frankly too gorgeous man sitting next to him, lounging casually on his sofa in Geralt's clothes as if he'd lived there his entire life. He couldn't help but wonder if he was like this everywhere he went. He certainly had the carefree personality for it.

"No, I'm not tweeting about you," Jaskier said without looking up from his phone. "I'm trying to beat this level."

"Hm." Geralt looked away. Maybe he shouldn't stare so much. He tried to focus on the movie. "Wasn't worried about that."

"You looked like you were going to gut me."

Did he? A frown tugged at Geralt's lips. "Far from the truth."

That seemed to get Jaskier's attention, and he put his phone down to grin at Geralt. "Oh? And what is the truth? Is it how stunning and sexy I look in your clothes?"

Yes. "No."

"Then what was it, my dear mystery hot guy?"

"I was thinking of telling you my name. But now I won't."

"You like being called mystery hot guy, don't you?" Jaskier slid closer, his grin widening. "Do people not tell you how unfair it is that you're so attractive? I mean really, leave some for the rest of us poor souls."

"No, people think I look like a freak," Geralt answered bluntly. He immediately regretted it leaving his mouth, it made the teasing atmosphere disappear instantly.

"Oh." Jaskier drummed his fingers against his leg, the tip of his tongue poking out to lick his lips. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped if the rest of the world has no idea what true beauty looks like."

"They do. That's why you're so popular."

Jaskier gave a dry laugh at that. "No. What they're in love with isn't me. If I went up like this," he gestured to Geralt's clothes hanging off of him, "I would be booed off the stage. I like the costumes, don't get me wrong, I love dressing up in bright and flashy clothes and having an audience screaming at me, singing along to my songs. It's like a drug, it gives me a rush like nothing else. But…" He paused and fidgeted with the hem of Geralt's shirt as he glanced down. "It's nice to take a break once in a while. Relax. Not worry about it being judged by millions of people."

Geralt gave a soft hum in agreement. He glanced at Jaskier when he felt the singer shift, and noted he was closer. He glanced down. Their knees were constantly touching now. Jaskier looked sheepish at being caught.

"Is this okay?" he asked.

"Hm." Geralt said nothing and looked back to the TV. What was he supposed to say? If it had been anyone else not so subtly trying to move closer to him, he would have kicked them out immediately. But there was something relaxing about Jaskier sitting next to him, wearing his clothes. He couldn't describe it, only that it felt right but wrong at the same time. He instinctively bristled at the light contact, but also relaxed in it. Weird.

Would it be alright to wrap his arms around Jaskier's shoulders and pull him to his side? He wanted to, but that felt like moving a bit too fast for a first date. Then again, he was pretty sure it wasn't a normal first date thing for his date to wear his clothes and eat pizza at his house. Or was it?

He could look it up. As subtly as he could, he scooted away from Jaskier enough to hold his phone close and search 'what do you do on a first date'.

Step one: pick a neutral place that you both feel comfortable in and do something at. Fuck. Was it too much pressure to have Jaskier over at his house? Was it boring? He spared a glance over at Jaskier, who seemed to be trying to focus on the show while he ate his pizza.

"Comfortable?" he asked, and Jaskier startled a bit but smiled at him.

"Very, thank you."

"Got a blanket if you need." Geralt gestured to the soft blanket folded over the back of the couch.

"Oh, no. I don't want to get grease on it. Maybe later."

Geralt grunted and turned back to his phone. Next step: have active and playful conversations. This was going far worse than he thought. But at least it gave some questions. He pressed his lips in a thin line and furrowed his brow. Was that really a question someone asked on a first date?

He cleared his throat. "What…do you find sexy in a man?"

"What?!" Jaskier's head whipped around to look at him with an expression similar to a deer in headlights. "Sorry, could you repeat that? I don't think I heard you right."

"What do you find sexy in a man?" Geralt asked flatly, his expression deadpanned. This was ridiculous.

"That's what I thought you said," Jaskier said with a weak laugh, his eyes looking everywhere but Geralt. "Um. Well. I do have an appreciation for partners that are built. The long hair is a lovely touch. Kindness is sexy, too. I like to be bossed around a bit too in the bedroom but aftercare is important, is that too much information? But I also like a flexible partner, not physically flexible but I guess that's nice too but I mean a partner that doesn't mind either position, and…" Jaskier forcibly clapped a hand over his mouth to stop talking.

Geralt stared at him. Well, that certainly did start a conversation. "Hmm." That…was not how a conversation continued, but he felt like his tongue was tied in knots.

"What, ah, what do you find sexy?" Jaskier asked, his face flushed bright red. Wasn't he the one that had suggested he bring condoms? Where was this sudden nervousness coming from?

Geralt shrugged. "Don't know. Haven't been with anyone in a long time."

"I see." Jaskier gave another weak laugh that sounded forced as he looked back at the TV, but his hands were shaking slightly as he picked up his half-eaten pizza and continued to nibble on it.

Geralt continued to scroll, to search through different websites for tips. A lot of them spewed the same bullshit; 'be yourself! be confident!'. But then he went to another website, and as he scrolled through it, one of the tips was 'don't talk about sex'. Hm.

So that's three for three tips he failed. This was a shitty date.

"Careful, your phone might explode if you keep glaring at it like that," Jaskier teased, and suddenly he was right next to Geralt, their shoulders pressed together to look over his shoulder at the screen. "You're..looking up first date ideas?"

Geralt pressed his phone against his chest to hide it. "No it's porn." _Why did he say that._

"Too late, I saw the headline!" Jaskier said, a wide grin on his face. "Is that where the sexy question came from?"

"No."

Geralt tried to turn his head away to hide the light flush on his cheeks while Jaskier burst out into laughter.

"You're-- You're looking up tips for this!" he said, wiping a tear from his eye as his shoulders still shook with laughter. "Is that why it's been so great?"

"What? It's been shitty," Geralt scoffed, and he pulled his phone away from his chest to glare at it.

Jaskier's face fell, as if Geralt had kicked him. "You haven't been enjoying it?"

"I didn't say that." Geralt grunted and scrolled through. "But these websites all have been saying to have interesting conversations, to have it somewhere neutral, be confident, that bullshit."

"Listen, mystery hot guy." Jaskier plucked the phone from his hands, turned it off, and promptly tossed it to the other end of the couch. Geralt tried not to think about how close he was.

"This date has already been the best one I've been on," the singer admitted. "Just...don't worry if you're doing it right, okay? It's going fine. I've been on a lot of shitty dates, believe me. You're far from it."

Geralt pressed his lips together in a thin line again. He wasn't convinced, but he didn't have time to think about that too hard because Jaskier was fully leaning against his side now. A faint note in the back of his mind noted how warm Jaskier was.

"I've never had someone offer me their clothes to be more comfortable," Jaskier admitted. "Usually when I mention how tight and uncomfortable my clothes are, it leads to taking them off for sex."

"On the first date?"

"Not everyone is a very hot, very careful man."

Geralt scoffed quietly and shifted to get comfortable again. Jaskier leaning against his side pinned his arm, so he pulled it free to lay it across the back of the couch. Jaskier took it as an invitation and curled up against him, his head on Geralt's shoulder.

"Is this alright?" Jaskier asked, a hand coming to drape over Geralt's waist.

"Hm." Geralt wrapped his arm more around Jaskier's shoulders. He didn't want to ever move. The pizza sat, forgotten. They stayed like that for several minutes, staying quiet while they watched the movie. It was nice. He wondered why the websites all insisted on conversation.

"You are enjoying this, yeah?" Jaskier asked softly. Even though he spoke up, it didn't break the comfortable air between them.

Geralt took a moment to take stock. He was warm, there was plenty of pizza left over for later, he was able to relax for a moment, and..there was a soft, warm body laying against him, and he didn't mind. Jaskier was laying against him. It almost felt like he belonged there, he was perfectly slotted against him.

"Yeah," he murmured, patting Jaskier's shoulder. "You?"

"Definitely." Jaskier gave a content hum and tried to snuggle closer. "Thank you, for not freaking out about who I am."

Geralt furrowed his brows. "You thought you'd get special treatment?"

"It happens all the time."

"Hm." Geralt huffed. "Well you aren't getting that here. Not from me. Ciri, maybe."

"Where is she, by the way?"

"At a friend of mine's. Wanted to have privacy."

Jaskier sat up and smirked at him. "You sly dog, were you hoping for something to happen tonight?"

"Not on the first date," Geralt said simply as he gave Jaskier a small nudge away. Jaskier laughed and settled back against him.

"You're the kind to take things slow, aren't you?" he asked as he slung his arm over Geralt's waist again. Geralt only gave a grunt in reply. "That's okay. This is enough for me."

Geralt felt a small relief settle on his shoulders as he got comfortable with Jaskier curled up against him again. He resisted the urge to turn his head and bury his nose in those soft chestnut locks. He could feel Jaskier's hair brushing against his neck, occasionally tickling his skin. He brought his hand up to brush his fingers over his skin.

"My name's Geralt," he murmured.

"Geralt," Jaskier repeated just as quietly. "I'll try not to forget it."

"I'll tell you again if you do." Geralt tilted his head to rest his cheek against the top of Jaskier's head.

This was enough.


	6. Breakfast at Geralt's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is literally just 4k words of just pure softness and fluff and I'm not sorry
> 
> also I've reached 200k words on this account thanks to this fic and I think thats very sexy of me

Geralt woke with a start. When had he fallen asleep? He cursed under his breath. Ciri. He reached over for his phone, trying hard not to move too much to disturb Jaskier, who was curled up on the couch with his head on Geralt's lap.

He grabbed his phone and squinted at the screen. It was almost two in the morning, and he had a few missed calls from Eskel and Ciri, and several texts from them both.

 **[Text from: Ciri]** Can I come home now? I'm bored  
**[Text from: Ciri]** Daaaaad  
**[Text from: Ciri]** Did you run off with Jaskier without me?  
**[Text from: Ciri** ] where are you???  
**[Text from: Ciri]** Eskels walking me back, pls don't be naked

 **[Text from: Slightly Less Asshole]** are you coming to get your daughter  
**[Text from: Slightly Less Asshole]** I'm not ready for parenthood  
**[Text from: Slightly Less Asshole]** she's crying help  
**[Text from: Slightly Less Asshole]** I'll walk her back, you owe me

Geralt felt his chest twist in guilt at the mention of Ciri crying. Did she think he had abandoned her? He hadn't even heard her come back. That sent a chill through him. Did she make it back safely?

He slid out from under Jaskier and stood to hurry over to Ciri's bedroom door. He opened it silently and peeked inside, a sigh of relief escaping him when he saw Ciri in bed, curled up under her blankets. He closed the door once more and went back to the couch, where Jaskier was blinking awake.

"What time is it?" Jaskier whispered.

Geralt turned the TV off and closed the pizza boxes. "About two. Do you need me to walk you back?"

"No, I have a driver."

"Even this late?"

"Mm he won't be happy but it's fine."

Geralt sighed and sat back down next to him on the couch. "It's not as nice as what you have, but you're welcome to stay here for the night," he offered. "You can take my bed."

Jaskier hummed and flopped against Geralt. "Will you be there too?"

"I can sleep here," Geralt assured him with a pat to the sofa. "You'll have your privacy."

"Don't care about that," Jaskier mumbled. He gently grabbed Geralt's hand and gave a weak tug. "Sleep in your own bed. I'll sleep here."

Part of Geralt wanted to just agree, to trudge to bed and leave Jaskier on the couch, but it wouldn't be right. "We can share. Bed's big enough."

"Okay," Jaskier agreed, his eyes already sliding shut again.

"Come on," Geralt whispered. He carefully gathered Jaskier up in his arms and held him close to his chest as he walked to his bedroom. "I don't have a spare toothbrush."

"'s okay," Jaskier mumbled into the crook of his neck.

Geralt laid him down on the bed and pulled the blankets out from under him to tuck him in. "I'll be back in a minute." He wasn't sure if Jaskier heard him, he already looked like he was falling back asleep.

He grabbed a change of clothes to sleep in and then left the room to clean up, sticking the pizza boxes in the refrigerator for later and placing the dishes in the sink. He brushed his teeth and got changed into the looser clothes, then grabbed his phone off of the couch. He spotted Jaskier's phone and grabbed it as well, checking to see what kind of plug it was. The same as his own phone, from the looks of it. He returned to his bedroom silently.

Jaskier was already fast asleep, soft snores coming from him. Geralt couldn't hide a smile at the sight. For a pop star that probably made more money from one concert than Geralt made in a year, he was so normal. Geralt set the phones on the nightstand, rummaging around in it as quietly as he could for a second cord.

He found it and plugged the Jaskier's phone in, making sure it was charging properly before he slipped out of the room with his own phone and charger. He hoped Jaskier was too asleep to remember Geralt telling him they would share his bed. Or maybe he would get up before Jaskier and act like he had slept in the same bed last night.

Those were excuses to come up with in the morning if he needed. Jaskier probably wouldn't even remember. Geralt took the blanket off of the back of the couch and spread it out, then plugged his phone into the closest outlet and set his alarm sound as loud as it could go. He got comfortable on the couch and closed his eyes, a deep sigh escaping him.

He wondered briefly if first dates were supposed to end with the other staying over and using his bed, but waved the thought from his head. It felt right.

* * *

Geralt woke far too early, which was at the same time he woke up every morning to his alarm blaring. He got up and turned it off, stretching a bit to shake off the sleep from his body. He hoped waking Ciri up with a sugary breakfast would help.

He went to the kitchen and went about preparing pancakes, making sure to make more than what might have been needed. Ciri always ate a few of them, even when they were stuffed with berries and dusted with sugar, and he had no idea how much Jaskier ate usually. If him eating half of his pizza last night was any indication, Geralt might be left to eat his own leftover pizza if he wanted a filling breakfast. That was fine with him.

Just as he was setting the first one aside on a plate, he heard a door open. He glanced over his shoulder to see Jaskier shuffling out, his hair stuck up in several different directions.

"Morning," Geralt whispered. He sighed and smiled lightly when Jaskier only gave a soft hum in reply and wrapped his arms around his waist from behind. He felt the musician's face burrow into his shoulder, and brought one hand up to smooth out his hair. "How did you sleep?"

"I don't want to ever leave," Jaskier mumbled in response, his voice muffled slightly by Geralt's shoulder. He lifted his head to rest his chin on his shoulder instead. "What's for breakfast?"

"Pancakes. I was supposed to pick Ciri up last night after the date."

This made Jaskier snap awake instantly. "Where is she? Is she alright?"

"She's fine," Geralt assured him, then wrinkled his nose. "Well, she's in her room."

"Are the pancakes for her then?"

"You can have some too. I made too much mix anyways." It was no accident, but Jaskier didn't need to know that.

The singer beamed at this, and Geralt pointed him to the cabinet that the plates were in. He took three plates out and set them at the table while Geralt set aside another pancake and poured more of the mix into the pan.

"Where's your coffee?" Jaskier asked, and Geralt gestured with his head to the end of the counter where everything was, with the kettle.

"Perfect." Jaskier poked around, filling the kettle up and letting it heat while he grabbed three mugs.

"Don't put coffee in Ciri's, she hates the stuff I have. She likes the breakfast tea," Geralt advised, only sparing a quick glance to see Jaskier nodding and dropping one of the bags in a mug, and spooning some of the instant coffee into the other two mugs. Jaskier filled them up with water and set them on the table to wait, then dutifully tidied up the area he had used until it looked like he hadn't touched it at all.

Geralt blamed his nonchalance towards Jaskier walking around in his kitchen and messing with things on being still half awake, even though he knew he was very much awake and very stiff still from sleeping on the couch. Today was going to be hell, he could already feel it.

Jaskier hopped up onto the counter to sit close by, his own mug of coffee in his hands while Geralt continued to make pancakes. "This was really nice," he said, his voice soft and making Geralt's heart twist. "I meant it last night, this has been the best date I've been on. Thank you."

"Hm." Geralt spared a glance up at him and gave a slight smile. "Maybe we could do this again sometime."

Jaskier's eyes lit up at that. "Yes _please_. Maybe you and Ciri can come to my place someday."

"Maybe." Geralt finished up the last of the mix, just as he heard Ciri's door open. "Hm. Speak of the devil."

He turned to place the stack of crepes on the table with a bowl of berries and a bowl of sugar, as Ciri shuffled in. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Jaskier, who smiled and gave a small wave as he sat on the counter.

"You're still here!" she said, bouncing slightly in excitement, but her excitement quickly turned to confusion when she realized Jaskier was wearing Geralt's clothes. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"I stayed the night!" Jaskier explained cheerfully.

Ciri wrinkled her nose at that. "Gross." She plopped down in her seat at the table, taking a pancake and piling it high with berries and sugar.

"What, you don't want to hear about how your father _ravished_ me last night and made me--" Jaskier was cut off by Geralt clapping a hand over his mouth.

" _Gross_ ," Ciri repeated with a grimace.

"Relax Ciri, I slept on the couch," Geralt assured her. "Nothing happened. We fell asleep in the middle of a movie before I could come get you."

"I saw. You snore so loud," Ciri huffed, taking a big bite out of her pancake, which was more sugar than pancake at this point.

"Sorry for not coming to get you last night," Geralt said, walking over to ruffle her hair gently.

"It's okay. Uncle Eskel walked me back fine. He was muttering that you owed him."

"He told me you were crying." Geralt saw the slight flinch in Ciri's shoulders at that, and he knelt down to look up at her in the eye. "You know I'd never abandon you, right?"

"I know." Ciri glanced away, poking at her pancake some more.

"Besides, Uncle Eskel is nice, but he'd make a shit parent. If I were to leave you with someone, which I _won't_ , it wouldn't be him."

"What about Uncle Lambert?"

" _No_. He's far worse than Eskel."

"He's fun!"

"No he's not. He's an asshole."

Ciri laughed, and Geralt smiled a bit at that. He stood back up and patted her shoulder. "Hurry up and eat. You need to get to class."

"The faster you eat, the faster you'll be able to show up to school with _the_ _famous_ _Jaskier_ escorting you right up to the door!" Jaskier piped up, his grin wide.

"That's not a good idea," Geralt warned, as Ciri gasped and immediately started to attack her pancake as if she hadn't eaten in months.

"Why not?" Jaskier asked, hopping off of the counter to take a seat at the table and start piling his own pancake with fruit and sugar.

Geralt sighed and took a seat as well. "You'll get mobbed, you know that right?"

"Not if I have a handsome and big bodyguard protecting me," Jaskier replied, sending a wink to Geralt. Geralt stared at him with a flat expression.

"I have to go to work after I drop her off, I'm not going to be late because of you."

"And you won't! Because you'll be able to pick me up and whisk me out of there, like my knight in shining armor!" Jaskier cooed, leaning onto the table slightly as he waved his fork around.

"Gross," Ciri spoke up, though there was a grin on her face that betrayed how delighted she was at the idea.

"Did you know your dad is built, Ciri?" Jaskier asked. "He can pick me up like I'm air! Geralt, show her."

"No. Eat," Geralt grunted, focusing on his own breakfast.

"By the way Ciri, you said you saw us sleeping on the couch right?" Jaskier asked. Geralt didn't like where this was going already.

A grin spread on Ciri's face. "Yes, and?"

"Did you, maybe, happen to take a picture?"

"Maybe. What's it to you?"

Geralt _really_ didn't like where this conversation was heading.

"Well, if I let you come backstage at my next show, will you send it to me?"

"No posting it on Twitter," Geralt quickly interjected with a sharp glare at Jaskier.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Jaskier cooed, batting his eyes at Geralt to try to seem "innocent". "I just wanted something to remember the best date I've been on."

Ciri already had her phone out and was making a new message with the picture attached. "Here, put in your phone number."

"Of course! Don't go telling others that you have my number now," Jaskier said with a wink as he took her phone and typed in his number. He beamed as the picture sent, a small beep coming from his pocket a moment later as he handed Ciri's phone back to her.

"Perfect!" the singer trilled as he checked the photo. He hummed as he tapped a few times on his phone, and then beamed. "There! Now it's my wallpaper, to look at and smile whenever I need a boost."

Geralt narrowed his eyes. "Jaskier."

"That is my name, don't wear it out," Jaskier cooed back as he returned to his breakfast.

"Did you really put it as your background?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

"Remove it."

"Nope!"

Geralt growled when Jaskier so casually denied him with the same flippant, teasing attitude as ever. "And what if someone sees it?"

"They won't. It's not the lock screen, and I never open my phone when I'm in public," Jaskier assured him. He gave Geralt's leg a small nudge under the table. "Don't worry so much."

Ciri snorted. "He's, like, ninety percent worrying."

"Really?" Jaskier asked, a sly grin on his face once more. "I would have never known. Is there anything else you can tell me?"

"No," Geralt interrupted. "Find out yourself or I'll block your number."

"So harsh," Jaskier whined, swaying back with a hand clutched at his chest. "You break my heart, Geralt."

There was something warm in the way that Jaskier really did remember his name. It wasn't like he was anyone special, after all. And he got along with Ciri well, better than anyone else who had tried to flirt with him. Ciri seemed to be a good judge of character, but then again he was sure it was impossible for her to see her favorite singer in a bad light.

Jaskier continued to tap away at his phone for a moment, then set it down and smiled. Ciri checked her phone, a small laugh escaping her. Jaskier grinned and sent her a wink.

"What's so funny?" Geralt muttered, looking between the two of them. He was already torn between loving how well Ciri and Jaskier got along, and regretting it deeply because of how well Ciri and Jaskier got along.

"Nothing, just had to say good morning to my Twitter followers," Jaskier replied back easily. "I'm going to go get changed."

As Jaskier stood to walk back into Geralt's room, Geralt sent a look to Ciri. "What did he post?"

Ciri shrugged and finished up her second pancake, then downed the rest of her tea. "I don't know. You should follow him and find out." She stood and left, going to her room to also change.

Geralt grunted and picked up all of their dishes to rinse them off and set them in the sink for later. His curiosity got the better of him, and he tugged his phone out to install the stupid app on his phone. After a far too long process of making an account, he searched up Jaskier's Twitter and scrolled down to see his latest tweet.

> @jaskierofficial, 6:37am  
>  Good morning! Thank u 4 the well wishes everyone, it worked out and im now planning a spring wedding.

Geralt heard his bedroom door open and sent a glare over at Jaskier, who strode out as if nothing was wrong.

However, when he saw the look Geralt was giving him, his smile turned shaky and he froze in place. "What's wrong?"

"A spring wedding?" Geralt asked, quirking a brow.

Jaskier's face flushed and he gave a weak laugh. "Ah well look at the time, I really should be--"

"You promised Ciri you'd walk her to school."

"I can walk her to school another day, of course, I really must be going."

Geralt grabbed Jaskier's arm and stared at him. He wondered if his stare was too intense, because Jaskier instinctively flinched away. He tried to soften it, but the fear in Jaskier's eyes only increased.

He cleared his throat. "Why not a…a winter wedding?" he asked, trying to force a small smile.

Jaskier only stared at him with wide eyes, then relaxed and gave a light laugh as he sank against Geralt. "Oh! Oh you were making a _joke_. I thought you were going to kick my teeth in for joking about us getting married after the first date."

Geralt chuckled and wrapped his arms around Jaskier. He felt smaller, somehow, with his clothes tight against his body like that, even with the sunglasses folded on the front of his shirt stabbing him. "Just don't go sharing information or pictures of me to the world."

"Mm wouldn't dream of it." Jaskier smiled and trailed his fingers down Geralt's chest. "That information is mine alone." He faltered and cleared his throat. "And, ah, any other dates you are seeing, of course."

"I'm not one for casual dating," Geralt admitted.

"That would explain the tips." Jaskier smiled and wound his arms around Geralt's neck, swaying gently with him. "I'd love to do this again sometime."

"Me too," Geralt murmured, settling his arms around Jaskier's waist.

"Gross," Ciri spoke up as she walked back in, wearing her uniform with her backpack on her shoulders. "Are we going?"

"Of course. Do you have everything?" Geralt asked, looking at Jaskier. Jaskier patted his pockets and nodded.

"I'm ready!" he chirped, going to Ciri's side. "Are you ready?"

"To rub it in everyone's face that I know you?" Ciri asked, a grin on her face. "Of course."

"Ciri, don't go flaunting him around like he's a trophy," Geralt sighed as he walked out with them.

"I don't mind. It's for a good cause, after all," Jaskier said, tossing a wink to Ciri. "And I'll have my knight in shining armor to keep me safe."

"Hm. Be right back." Geralt went into his own room to change into an outfit that was a bit more acceptable to walk around in, instead of loose flannels and a worn tee. He walked back out, to see Jaskier sitting on the couch with Ciri standing in front of him as he braided her hair in a complicated braid.

"You know how to braid hair?" Geralt asked as he stood next to them.

"Of course!" Jaskier said back as he twisted a tie around the end of Ciri's braid. "There you are." He patted Ciri's shoulder and stood up. "The belle of the ball."

Ciri laughed at that. "Come on, let's go." She grabbed both Jaskier's hand and Geralt's hand as she pulled them out and down the stairs. Geralt passed a smile at Jaskier over her head, and Jaskier gave him a sheepish smile back as he took his sunglasses from the front of his shirt to put them on. Geralt didn't know how that was going to protect him from anyone who had seen more than one picture of him in passing, but somehow it did work. On the walk down the streets they hadn't gotten more than a few curious glances, even with Jaskier's trousers embroidered with bright flowers.

It wasn't until they approached Ciri's school and Jaskier took his sunglasses off that they got more glances from the various students loitering around outside. Quite a few of them shuffled closer, looking excited but unsure. Jaskier continued to act like nothing was wrong though, and strode up to the front doors with Ciri.

"Have a good day at school," he cooed, pulling her into a tight hug. He leaned down to whisper something in her ear, and Geralt was sure he was going to regret whatever it was Jaskier said, but the way Ciri's face lit up innocently seemed to say otherwise.

"Okay! See you later!" she cheered, before turning and running into the school.

Geralt sighed and clapped a hand on Jaskier's shoulder. "You have some fans," he muttered, glancing over his shoulder at some of the kids gathering closer to them to stare.

Jaskier turned around, putting a bright smile on his face. "Hello! Can I help you?" he asked.

"Can I get a picture with you?" one of the girls spoke up quickly, looking like she was about to faint from holding her breath. A few others murmured in agreement, pulling out their phones.

And that's how Geralt ended up getting to work by the skin of his teeth. By taking photos of Jaskier with teenagers, both of them doing goofy and cute expressions and poses.

It wasn't all for nothing, though. When he finally got back to his flat with Jaskier in tow, Jaskier smiled at him and pulled his own phone out.

"I can't forget a picture with my most adoring fan, now can I?" he asked, in a voice that had no business being that soft and making Geralt's heart jump.

"If you insist," Geralt muttered, leaning in close with Jaskier so Jaskier could hold his phone up and snap a picture of them, Jaskier with a wide grin on his face that could light up the world, and Geralt with a slight upwards quirk of the corners of his mouth but a softness in his eyes.

"Can you send that to me?" Geralt asked, and Jaskier looked like he couldn't be happier.

"Of course!"

A moment later it was texted to Geralt, and the two said goodbye for real this time with a tight hug as they waited for Jaskier's driver to arrive.

"Text me when you're out of work?" Jaskier asked, a gentle smile on his face.

Geralt hummed and gave a small nod in response. Jaskier beamed and got into the car as Geralt turned and went back inside and up to his flat to get ready quickly for work.

He found himself replaying that morning in his head over and over throughout the work day. How was it that it felt so right to have Jaskier in his arms, to make breakfast for the three of them while Jaskier got the table set and Ciri got ready for school? Why did it feel so nice to see Jaskier, half asleep and still a bit messy from sleep, dressed in his clothes and leaning against him in the kitchen?

Even his co-workers noticed something was off about him today, that he seemed in a surprisingly good mood. Geralt still wore the same neutral expression on his face, but he was too distracted by remembering the warmth of Jaskier leaning against his side on the couch to snap at people if they weren't working as fast as they could be. For once, he was right and wrong. Work was hell, but it wasn't work itself that was hell. It was that time seemed to go by so slowly, dragging out the time before he could text Jaskier again.

He started planning on groceries he would need to pick up after his shift for dinner, after he got Ciri her promised milkshake. He wondered if Jaskier wanted to come over again tonight.


	7. Interview

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Okay I wrote this chapter faster than normal, I should hold off on posting it and make myself a buffer to have a consistent update schedule  
> Me, five seconds later: fuck it we're posting this shit NOW

Jaskier went back to his home in complete silence and shock. He flopped down sideways on his chair and stared up at the ceiling. Did that happen? It really happened, right? He opened his phone up and looked at the photo he took of them together, and the photo of them sleeping together on the couch. That happened. They were just…sleeping. As if it was the most normal thing in the world. It felt like it was too. He was curled up against Geralt's side in the photo, his arms slung around him while Geralt had an arm curled around his shoulders and his cheek resting on top of his head. That happened. It explained the slight crick in his neck. And he woke up, then was carried to bed by Geralt. Carried to _Geralt's_ bed, by Geralt. It still felt like a dream.

"Geralt," Jaskier whispered to himself, his fingers coming up to lightly touch his lips. He would never get tired of the feel of his name on his lips. That…he needed to put that in a song. He needed to put _everything_ into a song. Right now.

He raced to his studio room, grabbing his guitar and making sure it was in tune. He pulled out his notebook and scribbled down lyric after lyric while he plucked at his guitar, trying to figure out the best tune to perfectly convey just how much he felt for Geralt, how quickly he had fallen in deep, how he was happily drowning. A spring or winter wedding, it wouldn't matter to him. He had passed it off as a joke, but he really did want to see Geralt dressed up, walking down the aisle for him someday. When he fell in love with someone, he fell in fast and hard.

He had to forcefully rein himself in from that thought. _It was one date, calm down_. But it was so hard to calm down! He wondered if soulmates were actually real. He wouldn't be surprised to find out Geralt was his perfect match. Everything felt so _right_ with Geralt, it felt like they had known each other their entire lives. Like there wasn't the need to make stupid small talk about their daily lives. It was like Geralt hadn't even cared about Jaskier's popularity. And why would he? He wasn't even a fan of his music, according to Ciri.

That thought hit him like a bucket of ice cold water to the face. He stopped his scribbling and looked down at his guitar with a frown. If he made a song for Geralt, if he made an entire _album_ , would Geralt even like it? Would he appreciate Jaskier's effort and hard work into conveying how hard he fell for him?

It felt...wrong. It was nice to be appreciated for more than his music and popularity, but…his music was a part of his soul. If Geralt hated his music, then it meant he would never completely, irrevocably love Jaskier like Jaskier loved him already. And wasn't that a sour thought?

It left a bitter taste in Jaskier's mouth. He had always been reprimanded when he was younger for falling in love too fast with everyone. He had always confessed far too soon, and ended up with a shattered heart. Rinse, and repeat. Looking back, those were good learning experiences, which he was thankful didn't work out after all. But with Geralt, he knew he would be regretting it the rest of his days if he didn't keep his mouth shut. Geralt was almost perfect. He let Jaskier stay over without batting an eye, made a _divine_ breakfast for him and Ciri, he could carry Jaskier without breaking a sweat, and he was downright handsome. His face held back so much emotion, but there was no mistaking the softness in his eyes.

And the way he spoke with his daughter! Jaskier would be lying if he said he didn't love a family man. Geralt was so tender with Ciri. He had reassured her probably more than most parents that he would never abandon her. Jaskier wondered if that was a fear of Ciri's. Would it be inappropriate to ask her after school, when he picked her up to go shopping with her? She seemed so excited at the idea, maybe he shouldn't ruin the mood by asking about her insecurities.

His long daydreaming was interrupted by his phone lighting up next to him, a text from his agent. Multiple texts from her, in fact. Maybe he shouldn't have set his phone to do not disturb while he was on the date.

 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** Hey are you okay? Saw your tweet about the vodka.  
 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** If you seriously passed out on the floor of your bathroom, I'm using it for blackmail.  
 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** Don't die of alcohol poisoning, you're my main source of income.  
\--  
 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** Good morning, glad to hear you're not dead. You couldn't have thought to text your suffering manager that you were just on a date instead of dying of alcohol poisoning on the bathroom floor?

 **[Text to: Slavedriver]** Of course not, if I keep you on your toes then you'll never get sick of me!

 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** You're the worst. I scheduled you for an interview in two hours. I'll send the details. Have fun.

 **[Text to: Slavedriver]** please tell me ur joking  
 **[Text to: Slavedriver]** pls I have important stuff to do today

 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** Like what

 **[Text to: Slavedriver]** like a mystery hot guy to seduce, and his daughter to spoil

 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** You're chasing after a dad that may or may not be single. I'm not even surprised anymore.

 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** the daughter never mentioned a mom so it's free real estate 😘

 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** You are insufferable. Don't worry, the interview isn't scheduled for long and they promised lunch. Your driver will be there in fifteen.

Jaskier whined as a file was sent over with the details of who was hosting the interview, the general topics of what would be discussed. He pouted and slumped lower in his chair. He had seduction plans to make! A heart to convince to settle down and stop thinking about marrying a man he went on one date with! He sighed and opened up Twitter.

> @jaskierofficial, 8:27am  
> Might be releasing a new single sometime soon! Stay tuned!

The response to that was immediate and almost swept Jaskier away. How were so many people even awake this early? This still felt strange, to be adored so thoroughly. He wouldn't dare complain though. He _adored_ the attention. Now that he knew what it was like to be famous, to have people shower him in praise and adoration, he didn't want to ever go back to singing covers of someone else's songs.

Now he could write his own songs. He was promptly hit with remembering that Geralt didn't like his music. He frowned and strummed his guitar sadly, but then perked up. Wait, if Geralt didn't like his music, then it meant he could write whatever he wanted into a song and Geralt would be none the wiser! He could get his feelings out, put them on paper, and then move on. He shifted to sit up straighter in his seat and hummed.

"As long as you say I do, I'll love whatever season you choose…" he sang softly to himself, plucking a note on his guitar. "I would give up the fans and flashing lights, just as long as you hold me tight..?" He wrinkled his nose. He'd have to work on that.

He managed to get a few lyrics worked out, and about twenty scratched out, rewritten, and then scratched out again before he heard his phone beep with a text from his driver. Right, there was the interview. He groaned and texted back that he would be down in a moment. He went to the kitchen, about to pour his usual shot of vodka that he took before each of these interviews, but paused. What would Geralt think of his habitual drinking?

A weak laugh escaped him. Probably nothing. It was just one shot, and Geralt was a man that he only went on one date with. It wasn't like he was getting smashed before an interview, and it wasn't like he was actually married to Geralt. He knocked back the shot to calm his nerves and hummed as he strolled out to meet his driver once again.

This next part, he didn't enjoy at all. The moment he walked into the building for his interview, he was dragged away to a private room to become a doll. Someone handed him an outfit and he changed into it, then had the shirt and jacket ruffled _just right_ while his trousers hung a certain way on his hips. Then he sat down in front of a mirror while someone shaved any hints of stubble on his chin and plucked his eyebrows to be shaped just right. Someone else patted very subtle makeup on him, just enough to even out his skin tone and make his eyes pop more.

He chatted loosely with the girl as she did his makeup. He found the makeup artists to be the easiest to talk to. There were a few he was starting to remember, which always made them happy when he asked how a beloved pet was doing, or if they ever went back to so-and-so place after the place had messed up their order so terribly.

This one, however, seemed intent on prying him with a pre-interview interview. "Did you go on a date with the mystery hot guy last night?" and "What does he look like? Do you have a photo?" were some of the first things said to him. Jaskier closed his eyes, pretending to wait for the eyeliner instead of showing how frustrating the questions were.

"He and I hung out for a while. Nothing special," he answered simply. "Ate pizza. Watched a movie. The usual."

"Did you sing to him?"

"No, he doesn't like my singing."

"What?! How can he not like your singing? Guess he must not be that hot after all."

"Oh he is. He just isn't a fan."

"No second date then?"

"There will be one. Eventually."

" _Eventually_?" the makeup artist repeated with a small laugh. "Sounds like you aren't into him. Why bother?"

 _If you only knew the truth._ Jaskier always prided himself in being a good liar. "Eh, he pays for dinner."

"You could buy your own dinner."

"Yeah, but free food always tastes so much better."

The woman nodded in agreement. "Truer words have never been spoken."

Jaskier had to hold back a laugh at that. It wasn't the truth at all, really. He bought dinner, and he loved the date. He loved _Geralt_. He could just say hi to Geralt in passing and he'd be happy. It didn't even have to be a date. The thought sent a small smile tugging at his cheeks, which he quickly shut down so the woman could work. He wished he didn't have this stupid interview. He wanted to be back at home, scribbling more and more lyrics to try to capture his love for Geralt. No, actually he wanted to be back in Geralt's flat, curled up with him and eating terrible delivery pizza. But he couldn't have that, Geralt had to work after all, and he had a stupid interview to do.

Thankfully, it took them less time than expected to get him ready, and he had some free time to himself. He tweeted a photo of himself, saying that he was absolutely excited to be doing an interview. At least it was a confidence booster, to get all of the comments about how good he looked. But somehow, it wasn't enough. He took another picture, from a flirtier angle while he bit his bottom lip _just so_. He stared at it for several moments, then deleted it and took another one. And another. And another.

It took him ten more tries before he got the perfect picture that was just the right amount of flirtatious but also causal. It took him another five minutes of staring at the send button to figure out what to say.

 **[Text to: Mystery Hot Guy]** About to go into an interview! Wish me luck! ❤️❤️❤️

He sent it, and it only took two seconds before he regretted it. The lighting was all off in the photo, it was terrible. He looked ridiculous. Geralt wouldn't even see it until he got out of work. Oh, that reminded him. He needed to change his nickname for Geralt. But what to change it to…?

"Jaskier, you ready?" his agent asked, poking her head inside the room.

"Of course!" he said, standing up and beaming. He was never ready for these. But, at least it would take his mind off of the stupid photo he sent to Geralt.


	8. Shopping Spree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I typed out an outline for the rest of this fic and I got mildly emotional over it. The feedback that this and my other fics from this fandom have gotten is crazy, way more than I ever have known from 2 years of writing fanfic. I'm not always able to reply to every comment, but know that I check my inbox obsessively to see if I've gotten any new ones, and I cry at every one ❤️❤️❤️
> 
> Also there's 234 people subscribed to this fic apparently which is mind blowing to think there's 234 people out there that want to be notified as soon as there's a new chapter out what the FUCK I want to marry all of you 
> 
> Okay sappy time over, time for Jaskier

The interview was, frankly, a waste of time. Questions that were far too personal were asked that he had to fake a laugh to and simply say that was private, the lunch he was provided was tiny and not nearly enough, and they said they would only be using a few quotes from him. Probably because he refused to talk about his personal life, his "mystery hot guy" that everyone on Twitter was going crazy over.

He shook his head to clear it off as his driver took him to a different part of the city, to Ciri's school. At least now he could focus on his promised shopping trip with her. He got more and more excited as they got closer, and he directed his driver to stop on the street over from the school so he could walk the rest of the way. He was a bit early still when he got in front of the school, so he sat on a low wall with his sunglasses on and pulled out his phone. Still no reply from Geralt. He frowned and closed his messages, choosing to open up that game to try to beat that damn level once and for all.

He was thankful that his sunglasses somehow allowed him to be inconspicuous, and nobody approached him while he waited. Until he caught someone moving closer out of the corner of his eye and looked up, beaming when it was Ciri.

"Ciri! How were your classes?" he asked, opening his arms for a hug.

Ciri grinned and leaped at him to wrap her arms around him. "Boring! Can we go shopping now?"

"I did promise we would, didn't I?" Jaskier patted her shoulder and stood up. "Come on, let's surprise your dad with getting you the _best_ clothes."

Ciri followed along eagerly as Jaskier led her through the streets, chattering away about how everyone was so jealous, some didn't even believe that it was really _the_ Jaskier that saw her off to school that morning. Jaskier laughed at that.

"Well, you and Geralt know the truth at least," he pointed out. "That's good enough isn't it?"

Ciri smiled and nodded. "By the way, Geralt kicked me out of the flat yesterday for your date."

"He told me. Sorry about stealing your dad for a night."

"I think it's only stealing if he didn't let you take his time."

"Oh?"

Ciri's face grew serious. "He doesn't like to spend time with _anybody_. Except me. He's got a few friends that he sees sometimes, but he _hates_ going out and meeting new people."

"Well I'm flattered, but I assure you I am not looking to take your throne as Geralt's most important person," Jaskier said with a grin, trying to keep it lighthearted.

"I know." Ciri looked at him with a neutral expression. Jaskier felt strangely intimidated by this 15 year old. "But he does not like meeting people. At all."

"Yes I understand."

"Do you?" Ciri pinned him with her gaze.

"I…think I do?" Jaskier laughed weakly and brushed his bangs out of his face. "I-- yeah, he wasn't all over me with affection. But I've known people like him. People who show kindness in actions instead of words."

"That's not all of it though." Ciri crossed her arms and tilted her chin up to look at him. "He _never_ goes out and meets people. If someone tries to flirt with him in public, he ignores them at best."

"Oh!" That wasn't what Jaskier was expecting. Though in hindsight, he really should have. Geralt was a scary looking man. "Well I'm glad he was in a good mood yesterday to humor me."

"He doesn't humor people."

Jaskier ran his fingers through his hair, not really knowing what to think now. "But he doesn't like my music…" He trailed off, his fingers messing with the slight curls on the back of his neck. He'd have to get his hair trimmed soon, he realized faintly.

Ciri nodded in agreement. "He's weird. But he does definitely like you. A lot."

"Um, thank you?" Jaskier really didn't know what to say to something like that.

"He's really hard on himself sometimes, and he has a lot of trust issues. So he's not good at showing affection. But he does like you." Ciri's eyes darkened. "I can make your life a PR hell. So don't hurt him."

Why did he feel like he was asking for a blessing from a 15 year old child for a man he had only gone on one date with? Jaskier gave a smile and held his hands up. "Wouldn't dream of it, dear."

Just like that, Ciri's face brightened up again and she grabbed Jaskier's hand. "Great! So where are we going?"

Jaskier decided that there truly was nothing more terrifying than a very determined and stubborn teenage girl. "Just up ahead here, at the shopping center. There's a lot of stores in there to choose from."

"Like Primark?"

Jaskier grimaced. "We'll, ah…save that one for last."

\---

As it turned out, to Jaskier's relief, they didn't need to go to Primark after all. Or any other store after the first one, really. Ciri brought the maximum amount of clothes she could bring into the fitting room every time while Jaskier stood outside, holding the clothes she had already approved. Sometimes Ciri would come out and give a small twirl if she really liked a piece, and Jaskier would pretend to be the paparazzi, darting around with his fingers angled like he had a camera.

He wouldn't dare tell her that the actual journalists were rabid and tried to get the absolute worst shot of someone possible, for a good story. It was fun to let her act like she was coming out onto a catwalk every time.

By the time she had collected nearly a wardrobe overhaul, Geralt called her. She paused in inspecting a shirt and answered the call with pursed lips.

"Hey dad…I'm at the shopping center with Jaskier," she said. "He's buying me clothes. Late birthday gift." She glanced at Jaskier when Jaskier gestured to give him the phone. "Hang on, he wants to talk to you." She handed the phone over.

"Hello!" Jaskier chirped into the phone.

"Jaskier," Geralt's voice came from the voice, almost a growl. "Why are you buying my daughter clothes? And why didn't you tell me?"

"Because she's fifteen, and it's her birthday gift," Jaskier replied easily with a wink to Ciri. "Don't worry, she isn't picking out anything inappropriate."

"What's the catch?"

"Sorry?"

"What. Is. The. Catch?"

"Catch?" Jaskier looked at Ciri confused, but Ciri only shrugged in return, looking just as confused as him. "I'm afraid I don't follow. Why would there be a catch?"

"Why would you do anything nice for my daughter when we just met yesterday?"

Ah, so there were the trust issues Ciri warned him about. "Well, your daughter needs a good outfit for the concert next month, of course!" he chirped back, not affected by Geralt's harsh tone. "But it's so hard to pick just one outfit, because her decision for the day of the concert might be different! So we're getting a wide range for her."

"We don't need your fucking charity," Geralt ground out.

Jaskier winced. "It's not charity," he defended weakly. Silence. He chewed on his lip and glanced at Ciri. "Sorry. I'll, ah, bring her back home now. We'll check out and go. Bye Geralt." He hung up and handed the phone back to Ciri with a sigh. "Sorry kiddo, looks like your dad needs you back home."

"He's probably just worried about me," Ciri assured him, patting his arm. "It's nothing against you."

"We'll see," Jaskier mumbled. He took the clothes up to the counter and set them down, only giving a half-hearted smile when the cashier glanced at him, then did a double take and gawked for a brief moment before hurriedly scanning all of Ciri's clothes.

"Jaskier, I think she's a fan," Ciri stage whispered to him. Jaskier chuckled and ruffled her hair before looking back at the cashier.

"You...you are Jaskier? _The_ Jaskier?" the cashier asked, clearly trying not to fumble too much with the clothes.

"At your service," Jaskier cooed, taking a step back to bow dramatically. "Want me to sign something?"

"Yes! Please," the cashier gasped, fumbling in her pockets. However, she only had a crumbled receipt for him to write on.

Jaskier smiled and took out his wallet. "Here." He pulled out a blank card and took a pen out of his pocket. "What's your name?"

"Jessi," the cashier said, her hands shaking.

"Lovely name," Jaskier complimented as he signed the card to her, and slid it over to her. She beamed and looked at the card as if it was gold, and gingerly set it aside to continue scanning.

"So who's the angel with you?" she asked, glancing at Ciri.

"Friend's daughter. I accidentally missed her birthday, so now I'm making up for it," Jaskier explained easily.

"His future step daughter," Ciri piped up, and Jaskier choked.

"Let's-- Let's not get ahead of ourselves," he interrupted weakly with a squeeze to her shoulder. Ciri grinned at him mischievously. Thankfully the woman seemed to not acknowledge it as she finished up scanning everything. The price didn't make Jaskier blink twice, but then it went down considerably. He raised his eyebrows and looked at the cashier, who smiled sheepishly back at him.

"Employee discount," she whispered.

"Well thank you, that's very kind of you," Jaskier said as he put his card into the reader. He took it out when the reader beeped and stuck his wallet back in his pocket as Ciri took the three bags.

"Have a good day," he said, giving a wink to the cashier before turning and leaving with Ciri. It took him until they were back outside to realize Ciri was silently glaring at him.

That was definitely not a good sign. "What?"

"Don't flirt with other people when you're dating my dad," Ciri said with a huff.

Oh. "Was I flirting?" Jaskier asked, slightly confused now. Wait, was he officially dating Geralt now? It felt like something Geralt should have a say in first. "I didn't even realize."

Ciri tilted her chin up and scoffed. "Well you were. So don't tell pretty ladies that their names are lovely and wink at them."

"Yes ma'am," Jaskier said, feeling a bit like a kicked puppy. Teenage girls were terrifying indeed.

However, Ciri's face softened and she grinned again. "Thank you for the clothes, by the way. I needed new ones, but dad said mine still fit okay so I didn't."

"Your dad also has a closet that is all black," Jaskier pointed out. The two of them shared a laugh, and Jaskier felt like he was getting whiplash from this girl. How could she act like she was going to cut his balls off one moment and then be a completely normal and happy teenager the next? It was probably Geralt's stoic upbringing coming through in those moments of seriousness.

Thankfully he got Ciri back to Geralt's flat safely, and sighed. "Here, let me come upstairs with you and explain," he said softly.

Ciri looked at him confused but shrugged and led him up the stairs to the door. She walked inside casually. "We're back!" she called.

Geralt instantly strode into the room, his face dark. "Are you okay?" he asked. He knelt down and did a quick once over on Ciri, even gently grabbing her face in his hands to look at her. Whatever it was he was looking for, he must have found it, because he relaxed and pulled Ciri into a tight hug with a sigh.

"I'm fine dad, Jaskier walked me back," Ciri explained, and Geralt looked up, blinking a couple times, as if he was just now registering Jaskier was there. He cleared his throat and stood back up, regaining his composure as Ciri dashed past him to take the bags of clothes to her room.

"Thank you, for walking her back," Geralt said with a tight nod.

Jaskier sighed and brushed his bangs away from his forehead. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. We didn't think we would be out for so long."

"How much do I owe you for it?" Geralt asked.

Jaskier laughed and waved him off. "Like I said, no catch. It's my treat."

"Stay for dinner at least," Geralt said, and oh, his voice was so soft with that request how could Jaskier say no? Geralt cleared his throat and glanced away. "As a thank you. Repayment."

Jaskier smiled at that. "Yes, repayment. Of course." He wasn't convinced in the slightest. "What are you making?"

Geralt was silent for a moment and glanced back to the kitchen. "...Steak, and I'm frying up vegetables."

"Oh! That sounds wonderful," Jaskier said. It was certainly better than whatever fast food joint he passed by on the way back home. "Need any help?"

"No." Geralt paused and shook his head. "You're a guest."

"Well then I'll have to fulfill my very important job as guest and keep you company while you work so hard," Jaskier said, leading the way to the kitchen. Geralt grunted but followed anyways to start to get different ingredients out.

"How was work today?" Jaskier asked, hopping up to sit on the end of the counter so he wasn't in the way.

"Shit."

"Is there ever a day that it's not shit?"

"No."

Jaskier frowned and wrung his hands. Would it be too much to offer him to never have to work again and just live with him? He pulled out his phone.

 **[Text to: Slavedriver]** is it going too fast if u meet a guy and ask him to move in with u the next day

 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** Julian what the fuck  
**[Text from: Slavedriver]** This guy cannot possibly be that hot. Do not ask him to move in with you.

 **[Text to: Slavedriver]** he is that hot but ok

 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** I doubt that. Send me a photo of the guy.

Jaskier frowned and stared at his phone, then glanced at Geralt, who was focused on chopping up vegetables. "Hey Geralt?"

"Hm."

"Can I take a photo of you? My manager wants to see what you look like."

Geralt paused and looked at him with a deep frown. "Why?"

"I, uh…told her you're really hot and she doesn't believe me." Jaskier choked out a small laugh and looked away. "I don't have to though, I can tell her you don't want--"

"Fine. No posting it on social media though." Geralt turned back to prepping dinner as Jaskier gawked. "A picture for a picture." 

"So you did see the picture I sent you earlier?" Jaskier asked, his heart doing a small leap of hope. 

"Yes." Oh, was that a blush dusting Geralt's cheeks? 

"What did you think?" 

"You looked...good," was all Geralt muttered. His brow was furrowed as he concentrated on preparing dinner, his movements a bit more jerky than they had been before. 

"Thank you! I took it just for you," Jaskier purred.

"The photo."

"Right! Okay let me just.." He stuck the tip of his tongue out slightly in concentration as he snapped a few photos. He took a few minutes to determine the best one from them-- it was so hard, every photo of Geralt was perfect!-- and sent it to his manager.

 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** Really.

 **[Text to: Slavedriver]** ikr its unfair

 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** He's mediocre at best.

 **[Text to: Slavedriver]** the pic must not have sent right bc im pretty sure im sitting next to a god and hes making me food

 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** I can think of at least five people you've turned down in the past month that are better looking.

 **[Text to: Slavedriver]** yeah but they werent my type

 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** That's your type? Really?

Jaskier scoffed and shoved his phone back in his pocket. He hopped off of the counter and moved to wrap his arms around Geralt's waist from behind.

"Can I help you," Geralt said flatly, not pausing in cutting up vegetables.

"Did you know you're hot as hell?" Jaskier cooed, resting his head on Geralt's shoulder.

"Hm."

"I mean it Geralt, you're _super_ hot. And I'm very attracted to you."

"Unfortunate."

"Geralt, I'm serious!"

"Hm."

Jaskier pouted and let go of him to take his spot back on the end of the counter. "You don't believe me."

"Why should I? You just met me yesterday," Geralt replied back.

Jaskier looked down and wrung his hands, pursing his lips. Well this was going wonderfully sideways. He glanced up at a bit of movement at the edge of his vision, and saw Ciri peeking into the kitchen. She poked her head out and gestured her hands to keep talking. He smiled at her and looked back at Geralt.

"Well. I've met quite a few people the media thinks of as beautiful," he explained, and Geralt glanced at him.

"So?"

"Did you know most of those people aren't naturally beautiful?"

"Yes. What's your point?"

"I know many that use an entire department of hair products to try to make their hair look half as good as yours," he cooed, reaching out to flick a lock of Geralt's hair.

"I haven't washed it in four days," Geralt said bluntly, and Jaskier instantly recoiled.

"Well, ah, your eyes too!" he reasoned. "Liquid gold, pure sunlight captured in amber!"

"Hm."

Jaskier glanced at Ciri, who beamed and gave him a thumbs up. He smiled and scooted closer to Geralt.

"And your jaw could cut me in half," he purred, reaching out with a hand to trace a finger along the line of Geralt's jaw, but Geralt grabbed his wrist to stop him before he could.

"Please stop touching me," he grunted.

"Oh! Sorry." Jaskier scooted away again and kicked his legs back and forth idly. One step forward, two steps back. Just simple praise seemed to work. "But really. There's expensive procedures many go through, sink thousands of pounds into, for a handsome face. And yet here you are, with it all naturally."

Geralt grimaced and grunted as he cut particularly hard. "Get on with it."

Jaskier froze at that. "Get on with..what, exactly?" Now he was even more confused.

"What do you want."

"What do I…" He sighed and shook his head. "Geralt, it's a _compliment_. It's not something given in return for something else."

"Hm."

Jaskier's shoulders slumped at that. "You really are the most handsome man I've met," he said softly, in one last effort. "Not even just looks. Your personality too."

"You're a celebrity," Geralt grumbled. "You have people throwing themselves at your feet every day."

"Well yes, but none of them like me for _me_ ," Jaskier pointed out. "They all chase after me for the face I put on for the public. I haven't had a break in so long." He needed to stop talking, but it felt like everything he had been holding in since yesterday came rushing out. "And then here you are, letting me wear your clothes that don't look good on me at _all_ and you're telling me to eat more even though I really need to watch my figure, and you don't even care I look like hell in the morning and you made breakfast for me and let me stay for dinner. You...you're so _sincere_. I haven't been treated like that in a while."

The silence did nothing to help calm Jaskier's racing heart. He shouldn't have said that. Why did he say so much? He just met this man yesterday, he really did have a problem with moving too fast.

Geralt cleared his throat, snapping him out of his thoughts. "That's..not true," he muttered.

Jaskier felt like he was going to die from the amount of whiplash this conversation has been giving him. "Huh?"

"I..went to your concert with Ciri a few weeks ago," Geralt admitted, setting the knife down and gripping the edge of the counter. "And I saw you, on the stage. I've been…bothered about it since then."

"I'm still confused."

"I'm just as bad as everyone else you hate. I didn't see you. I don't see you."

Jaskier blinked a couple times and then laughed softly. He wished he could throw his arms around Geralt and hug him tight, but instead he rolled his shoulders and drummed his fingers against the counter. "Geralt, you're not asking me to sing for you. You're not asking me for money. You don't want to be flaunted to the world, to tell everyone that I'm yours. You are _so_ much better than them." He scooted closer, his eyes bright. "I had an interview today."

"And?"

"They asked me a lot about the 'mystery hot guy' I was going off about yesterday."

"Hm."

"You know what I said?"

"I'm not a mind reader."

Jaskier leaned in slightly. "I told them it was none of their damn business," he said, and he didn't miss the way Geralt's eyes flicked towards him for a brief moment "I told them my mystery hot guy wanted to stay anonymous, and I told them I was happy to keep that anonymity."

"Why?"

"They asked me that too," Jaskier murmured, lowering his voice. "Do you want the answer I gave them or the truth?"

Geralt regarded him for a moment with a furrowed brow. "...Both."

Jaskier chuckled and straightened up. "Well. I told them it's because I didn't want you to be harassed by people trying to get close to me."

Geralt's brow furrowed more. "And the truth?"

"Well, that was it. Part of it. The other part…" Jaskier smiled and ran his fingers through the hair on the back of his head. Too late now to back out. "I...realize this is probably a lot, we just met yesterday. I have been told a lot that I fall far too fast for someone. But…I didn't want anyone else catching your fancy before I did."

Geralt looked at him, his eyes darting over Jaskier's face. "I don't like attention. That's why I don't want you talking about me on social media."

"Yes, and I am happy to keep that attention from you," Jaskier whispered. "You may send me away if you wish, but I really am very attracted to you. Not just physically, that is certainly a factor but not all of it. I want to spend every day with you and Ciri, I want to wake up in your bed and help you cook and I want to sing to you every moment of the day and help you forget how shit your work is."

He spared a glance back at Geralt, though that gave nothing away. How he was able to keep his face so blank even when Jaskier was baring his heart to him was nothing short of a miracle.

"Get off of the counter," Geralt instructed, his voice gruff.

Jaskier's heart shattered. Of course it was too soon. He managed a shaky smile as he slipped back down onto the floor. "Right. Sorry, I'll uh, show myself--" He cut himself off with a squeak as he was suddenly wrapped in Geralt's arms, held tight against his chest. Oh. This was so much better than he could have imagined. He brought his arms up to return the embrace, resting his head on Geralt's shoulder.

"You're an idiot," Geralt mumbled into his hair.

Jaskier laughed softly and gave him a small squeeze. "I can be your idiot, if you'll let me."

"Hmm." Geralt pulled away just enough to look at him. Jaskier felt his heart skip at how _soft_ his eyes were.

"Is that a yes?" he asked softly.

"We'll see," Geralt murmured. He brushed his fingers down Jaskier's back. "And Ciri?"

"She's wonderful. Just like you," Jaskier assured him. "I know full well that you two are a package deal. I cannot love one and not love the other."

The answer seemed to melt all tension from Geralt's shoulders as he held Jaskier close once more. Jaskier hummed and gently swayed him back and forth, his eyes closing.

"You smell gross," he mumbled into Geralt's shoulder, but gripped him tighter when Geralt tried to pull away. "One more minute. You're so comfortable."

Geralt sighed but stayed put. "I forgot to take a shower after work."

"How about you shower and I'll finish dinner?"

"No."

"Okay. Need me to get you anything?"

"Silence."

"I don't go for that. I can keep telling you how handsome and wonderful you are?"

"Not in front of Ciri."

A squeak came from the kitchen entrance, and Geralt pulled away to glance back. "Yes, I know you're there Ciri. Come in," he called.

Ciri shuffled in, twisting a lock of her hair around her fingers. "Sorry for eavesdropping."

"It wasn't a private conversation," Geralt assured her. "What do you think? Can you handle having him around all the time?"

Ciri nodded enthusiastically, and Jaskier beamed. "Not just because you're my favorite singer," she defended. "But my dad likes you a _lot_ \--"

"Ciri," Geralt warned.

"--whenever I play your music he always gets this gross doe eyed look on his face--"

"I do _not_."

"--and he was _completely_ smitten after the concert! I tried to talk to him afterwards and he wouldn't respond with anything!"

"That's not true."

"Dad I told you that I was pregnant and eloping to Ukraine with a 35 year old guy I met on the internet and all you said was 'hmm'."

Geralt fixed her with a glare. "You did not tell me that."

"Yes I did! I recorded it!"

Ciri pulled out her phone, presumably to play the damning evidence, but Geralt strode over to pluck her phone out of her hands. She whined and tried to reach for it, but Geralt was much taller than she was.

"Dad that's not fair!"

"You aren't actually pregnant and eloping to Ukraine, _right_?"

"It was a joke to see if you were listening! Give me back my phone!"

"You can have this back if you go do your homework in the living room and leave us be."

Ciri huffed and took her phone back when Geralt offered it to her. "I don't want to see you two being gross anyways." With that, she turned and left, the closing of her bedroom door soon following.

"Teenagers," Geralt sighed and turned back to Jaskier, who had been watching the exchange with a grin.

"Where were we?" he purred, opening his arms again, but Geralt walked past him to stand back at the counter.

"Making dinner," he gruffed, and Jaskier hummed and wrapped his arms around his waist from behind to watch over his shoulder.

"Can you still move like this?"

"Hmm."

"I'm not hearing a no."

"Because it's not."

Jaskier nuzzled the crook of his neck. How was he ever going to survive this man? "That's what I thought."


	9. Backstage Tickets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot believe these two keep messing up and going off of my outline for extra fluffy moments

**[Text from: Slavedriver]** Really Julian. You can do so much better than some ratty single dad.  
 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** Don't you dare ignore me for him  
 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** At least pick someone slightly famous not some mutt off the street  
 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** How old is he, 50? Why is his hair so white?  
 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** Can you imagine the PR hell this will cause when it comes out you're dating a nobody?  
 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** And who is going to have to clean all of it up? ME.  
 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** Julian I swear you better be not answering because your phone is dead.  
 **[Text from: Slavedriver]** Text me as soon as you see these.

Jaskier stared down at his phone, his grin faltering.

"What's wrong?" Ciri piped up from across the table.

Jaskier shook off his unease and smiled a bit softer at her. "Ah, don't worry. Let me ask for those tickets while it's on my mind."

**[Text to: Slavedriver]** Okay. First of all, he is not a mutt off of the street, and he is not ratty. He's not 50, either. Secondly, I wanted to keep this relationship between me and him a secret for a while. I don't even know what we are at this point okay! So fuck off it's not going to be a PR hell, and I didn't ask you to clean it up for me even if it was. I wasn't texting you back because I'm having dinner with him and his daughter, and I am trying to be a polite dinner guest.

Jaskier took a deep breath and sent the text, feeling a boiling anger in his chest. He would have to put a reminder in his phone for later to ask her closer to the concert, when things cooled down between them again. His phone beeped and he picked it up, his blood turning to ice.

**[Text from: Slavedriver]** I'm done dealing with such a child. I quit. I've already got two other clients who appreciate me far more and are much more mature. I'll be gracious and send you the details of the accounts and passwords, but that's it. Do not contact me again.

Jaskier stared at his phone, his mouth open slightly. He didn't know what to do. How was he going to handle things now? Did that mean his career was over? No, he could find another manager right? Surely it wasn't that hard.

He looked up at Ciri and Geralt, who were looking at him confused, Ciri's face full of worry.

"My manager is being…surprisingly generous today," he managed a grin, "so you both will have backstage passes and front row seats."

The excited squeal from Ciri lifted his mood a bit, and his smile turned more genuine. Geralt still looked at him with that hard expression though. Oh. Right.

"You, ah, don't have to come if you don't want to," Jaskier assured him. "Or if you just want to see me, my dressing room is fairly well soundproofed. Can't hear much of the singing in there."

Geralt furrowed his brow but shrugged. "It's fine. I'll bring earplugs."

Jaskier nodded and took a bite of vegetables. They tasted like ash in his mouth. "Smart. The audience can get a bit loud."

Geralt hummed in agreement while Ciri wiggled in her chair in excitement. Jaskier couldn't help but smile at the sight. He had to write Geralt the best song now, to try to show him his music was good.

"So Geralt. What kind of music do you like?" he asked, trying to seem nonchalant, but his heart just wasn't in it. He was far too worried about how things were ever possibly going to be okay now.

He shook the thought from his head. The show had to go on. At least for another month, for Ciri and Geralt to attend his concert again in the front row.

"I don't like most music. Too loud," Geralt muttered.

"So softer ballads then?"

"Not really my thing."

"You need to be more specific about what you do like."

Geralt hummed and tilted his head as he thought about it. "There was one song. The last one at the concert Ciri and I went to."

"'Her Sweet Kiss'!" Ciri piped up with a grin.

Geralt gave her a look but sighed. "...Yes. It was…a lot."

"Too much?" Jaskier asked with a frown.

"No." Geralt grimaced. "It was…charged. A storm."

"Raging on the horizon?" Ciri chimed in.

"Sure." Geralt sighed and gestured weakly with his hand. "It's…" His voice died in his throat and he made an annoyed growl.

"I think I know what you mean," Jaskier said, resting his hand on top of Geralt's. "I'll make sure to sing my heart out. And dedicate it just for you."

It couldn't be that hard to handle everything for a month, right?

* * *

Dinner had been eaten and Geralt and Jaskier stood at the sink, Geralt washing off all of the dishes while Jaskier dried them off.

"Ever thought you'd have a famous singer in your kitchen helping you wash dishes?" Jaskier asked.

Geralt grunted in reply, and he smiled and went back to drying off the mug in his hand.

When all of the dishes were finished and put away, he turned away to put the towel back, but got an idea and smirked. He turned back towards Geralt, twirling the towel and snapping it over his behind.

Geralt glanced over his shoulder and smirked. "That's not how you do it."

Jaskier had a very bad feeling, which proved to be true when Geralt grabbed a second towel and, like a flash of lightning, snapped it on his hip. He yelped and laughed, stepping away.

"You bastard!" he said, backing away when Geralt turned back to the sink to soak the towel. "Ohhh no no no, you stay away from me with that you--!" He just barely managed to jump out of the way as Geralt flicked the towel again at him. He pouted at the slight spray of water on his trousers.

"Oh that's it, this is war!" he cried, twirling his towel up tight in preparation. However, his arms were suddenly pinned to his sides by two surprisingly strong arms, and he looked over to see Ciri grinning at him.

"I got him dad, get him!" she called to Geralt.

"Good job Ciri," Geralt said, snapping the towel at an exposed strip of skin on Jaskier's side.

Jaskier yelped and struggled. "Betrayed by my biggest fan!" he whined. Just as he managed to break out of Ciri's grip, he fell forward into Geralt, who held him in an iron vice-like grip.

"This is torture! You will be hearing from my lawyer!" he complained as the two laughed. He huffed and gave up the struggle, his back flat against Geralt's chest. He couldn't help but smile at the moment though. He relaxed back against Geralt's chest and heaved a dramatic sigh as he threw his head back.

"Fine, do with me as you will you villains!" he lamented. "I'm ready to face my death!"

"No dying allowed," Geralt rumbled, and oh, his mouth was very close to Jaskier's ear. He felt the slight puff of breath over his cheek and shivered.

He swallowed down the question of what Geralt was going to do to him then. Not in front of Ciri. "Then what is my sentence?"

"You have to sit and join us for family movie night tonight," Ciri piped up with a grin.

"If you're free," Geralt added, still far too close and far too warm for comfort.

_Not now_ , Jaskier prayed silently. "Right yeah, I'm, ah, definitely free," he choked out.

"You sure?" Geralt asked. "Her mother and her mother's fiancée will be here in about an hour."

Jaskier blinked a couple times in surprise. "Oh! Yeah, I can stick around. Won't be a problem for me."

"You're not going to be the third wheel anymore dad," Ciri teased.

"Never cared about that. Go pick out a movie," Geralt instructed, still keeping his hold on Jaskier. Ciri mock saluted and raced off to her bedroom, presumably to get her phone.

Geralt hummed and loosened his grip on Jaskier's waist, though Jaskier didn't bother moving.

"Your voice is unfair," he whispered, closing his eyes as he rested his head back on Geralt's shoulder.

"Says the singer."

"Hmm." Jaskier smiled when he felt Geralt's fingers slip just under the hem of his shirt, calloused hands spread innocently over his waist. "Don't go any lower. I'd hate to scandalize your daughter," he teased softly.

"I won't," Geralt promised, and Jaskier felt the slight scratch of his stubble against the top of his head as he relaxed against him. "Don't feel pressured to stay if you don't want."

Jaskier felt his shoulders slump as he remembered the ordeal with his manager. "I should really be getting back," he admitted. "There's a few things I need to handle." He turned in Geralt's hold and brought his arms up to drape them over his shoulders. "I don't want to disappoint Ciri."

"There will be time to make it up later," Geralt promised.

Jaskier felt his heart flip at how beautiful Geralt's eyes were up close. He then realized exactly how close they were. He could feel the puff of Geralt's breath against his lips as his gaze was captured by those beautiful amber eyes. This was the part people usually kissed, right? The thought seemed to cross Geralt's mind too, and oh, he looked so beautiful with a blush on his cheeks as his expression turned unsure. Jaskier's eyes lidded, one hand coming back to tangle loosely in Geralt's hair.

"Geralt…" he whispered, pressing closer.

"Jaskier," Geralt rumbled back, and Jaskier swore he could feel it in his chest.

" _CIRI!_ "

Jaskier yelped and flung himself away from Geralt as Ciri popped back in with a shout of her own name. She held a DVD case in her hands with a mischievous grin on her face, not even faltering at the death glare Geralt gave her. She simply looked at Jaskier, who was still wheezing and holding a hand over his chest to try to calm his rabbit-quick heart.

"Did you say you needed to go?" she asked, and Jaskier cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Y-Yeah. I have some things to do," he explained. "Sorry."

"It's fine. You're busy," Ciri assured him with a pat to the shoulder.

"I can stay for a few more minutes, while I wait for my driver to get here," Jaskier said with a glance at Geralt, but the moment was already ruined beyond repair. He managed a weak smile and took out his phone to send a quick text to his driver while Geralt went about tidying up the kitchen. Turns out, his driver hadn't been too far away, so it would take no time at all for him to get there. Jaskier's shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"He's nearby, so I'm going to go downstairs and wait for him," he sighed.

Geralt gave a brief glance over to him. There was a question in his eyes, but he seemed to answer it for himself as he turned away again to fold up the towels. "Okay. Be safe."

"You too. See you again soon, maybe tomorrow?" Jaskier asked with a hopeful smile.

"We'll be here," Geralt assured him.

Jaskier beamed at that, his chest filling with hope. He turned to Ciri and gave her a tight hug. "Don't cause your dad too much trouble."

"I promise nothing," Ciri chirped back, and the two laughed before Jaskier turned and left.

* * *

If Geralt had known that was the last time he'd talk to Jaskier for who knows how long, he would have gotten over the barrier in his throat that kept him from knowing how to say exactly what he felt. He would've walked him down to the front door and tried to kiss him again. He cursed and slammed a fist down onto his bed.

It had been two weeks since Jaskier had come over. Two weeks since he had stood beside Geralt and helped him wash dishes, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Two weeks since they had a play fight in the kitchen, since he had held Jaskier tight in his arms.

Two weeks since Geralt was too much of a coward to kiss him.

The first couple of days, he figured Jaskier was busy. He did have a concert in a month, after all. So he sent a text, finally replying to the photo Jaskier had sent him.

**[Text to: Jaskier]** You look good with makeup.

No reply. So, the next morning, thinking maybe Jaskier didn't know how to respond, he sent another text.

**[Text to: Jaskier]** Good morning.

He checked his phone after work, but there was still nothing. And now it was two weeks later, with several other texts sent to Jaskier, all with no reply. The two weeks were the most painful of his life. How had the singer managed to burrow so deep into his heart that it ached now just to be away from him for two weeks?

Ciri was with Yennefer and Triss this week. The empty flat never bothered him, but now it seemed cold. He had tried to invite Jaskier over yesterday, but just like all of the other texts he had sent, it went unanswered.

He groaned and rubbed his eyes. This was what happened when he got attached, dammit. He shouldn't have let himself get pulled in so fast, much less with someone _famous_. He had read over past texts between them several times, replayed every conversation in his head.

A buzz at the door interrupted his wallowing, and he would deny until the day he died the flip in his chest at it. Maybe it was Jaskier. He strode to it and pressed the speaker. "Hello?"

"Are you Geralt?" a prim voice came from the other side, and Geralt's stomach dropped. That wasn't Jaskier.

"What's it to you?" he growled back.

"Jaskier sent me to pick you and your daughter up. He's at Whitecrest Hill Hospital."

A million thoughts hit Geralt at once. The hospital? "Is he alright?"

An uncomfortably long pause followed. "He said he's dying sir," the man on the other end said. "Please hurry and be downstairs soon."

"Got it." Geralt instantly turned off the speaker and grabbed his coat, phone, keys, and wallet. He tucked a pocket knife in his jacket as well, just in case. He took the stairs two at a time as he raced down. Sure enough, there was a man waiting with a card held out for Geralt to look over. Geralt spared a glance at it. Sure enough, there was Jaskier's signature authorizing this man as his driver. How extra. Geralt shoved the card back at him.

"Let's go," he growled.

"Would you like to stop on the way for flowers, sir?" the driver asked. The thought brought a pang to Geralt's chest.

"...Yes," he agreed, and slid into the backseat of the car when the driver opened the door for him. The driver got in behind the wheel and off they went.


	10. Hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to start writing this next chapter like immediately after I posted the previous one because I hate leaving things on a cheap cliffhanger for too long tbh
> 
> Also hello to all of the lurkers, especially you vands88's gf 😘

The car could not move fast enough for Geralt's liking. His leg bounced nervously in the back seat, he fidgeted with the pocket knife in his jacket. He all but sprinted into the store when the driver parked so he could buy a bouquet. He grabbed the biggest one of course, Jaskier was an idiot who always loved flashy things and he would appreciate the ridiculously huge bouquet of flowers that Geralt didn't care to think too hard about. They were yellow and white, bright colors good for bringing a bit of light back into a drab hospital room.

As he slipped back into the back seat of the car, he texted Ciri that he was coming to pick her up in five minutes, there was an emergency, and asked her to be waiting outside. He had received a few texts in response asking what the emergency was, but he didn't respond. He would explain on the way to the hospital. Not that there was much to explain.

They barely pulled to a stop outside of Yennefer's house before Geralt slid over in the backseat so Ciri could hop in.

"What's going on? Who's this?" she asked as the driver took off again.

"I'm Jaskier's driver," the man in the front seat said simply. "He asked me to come get you two and bring you to the hospital he is currently at."

"He's at the hospital?!" Ciri exclaimed, her eyes wide with panic. "But how-- why-- what's wrong with him?!"

"He told me to tell you two that he was dying. That is all the information I have."

"What?!" Ciri turned to Geralt, tears already threatening to spill over. "He's lying! Who is this, dad?"

Geralt stayed completely silent though, staring straight ahead as he clutched the bouquet of flowers in his arms.

"Dad?" Ciri asked, softer this time.

"We'll see," was all Geralt muttered as he wrapped an arm around Ciri's shoulders.

\---

The charge into the hospital was surprisingly easy. The driver gave them a nod and promised he would be there when they were ready to return, but Geralt wasn't sure when that would be. He and Ciri walked in and immediately strode up to the receptionist's desk.

"We're here to see Jaskier," Geralt growled. It wasn't until Ciri pried the flowers from him that he realized he was gripping them so tight they were in danger of snapping.

The receptionist looked up at him with a stony expression. "Names?"

Geralt pulled out his wallet to give her his ID. "Geralt Rivia."

"And Ciri Rivia," Ciri piped up. Geralt felt a small smile tug at his lips and he ruffled her hair.

The receptionist hummed and typed into her computer for a few moments. "Hm." She almost sounded surprised, and if Geralt wasn't too focused on fearing for Jaskier's life, he would have snapped a scathing comment about it.

The woman wrote down the room number on a slip and handed it over with a vague gesture further into the building. "That way."

Geralt didn't bother thanking her. He was on a mission, the clock was ticking, what if it was too late, would Jaskier even be conscious, was he okay--

He burst into the room with Ciri in tow. Jaskier jumped and yelped, trying to scramble back with little success. He hissed and settled back into the bed with a wince. Geralt felt his chest squeeze as he saw how thin and pale Jaskier looked, hooked up to a few different things.

"Jaskier! What's wrong? Why are you dying?!" Ciri cried, rushing to the side of the bed with the flowers gripped against her chest.

"Oh. You two got here..much faster than I was expecting," Jaskier said, a sheepish smile on his face. He chuckled and looked away, wringing his hands.

"Jaskier. What happened?" Geralt asked quietly, walking over to sit on the edge of the bed. He took Jaskier's hand in his own gingerly, as if grabbing it too hard or too suddenly would break him.

"Well. Um. You see…" Jaskier chewed on his lip and choked out a weak, dry laugh. "Right. Two weeks ago, my manager quit. So I tried to find a new one."

Geralt furrowed his brow and stroked his thumb over Jaskier's knuckles. "So?"

"Well…nobody wanted to take me. My previous manager, Countess, she ah…spread the word to everyone. Told all of the other agencies how much of an infuriating wreck I am to work with. Which I'm not, but they all believed her over me. And…" He hesitated and gave Geralt's hand a small squeeze. "I ah, may have tried to run things on my own? But I'm really bad at saying no to people, and there were so many nice fans just a short train ride away who said my music meant _so much_ to them, and so many people who wanted to have an interview with me, and a few wanted me to do special appearances at places and sing a song or two."

"What does this have to do with you dying?"

"I'm getting to that. So, a lot of people wanted to see me. And who am I to deny such sweet fans? But, ah, in the busy life of traveling and visiting and even doing a couple small gigs for weddings, I…may or may not have forgotten to eat, drink, or sleep properly. I collapsed, and now I'm here." He smiled at them. "And now you two are here as well! And what lovely flowers you have brought me, thank you!"

Geralt took it all in, his brow furrowed. "So why are you dying?"

"I…might have told my driver to tell you that. I told him as a joke!" Jaskier defended quickly at the fierce look from Geralt. "I didn't think he'd actually tell you I was dying!"

Geralt felt his shoulders slump as the tension and adrenaline of thinking Jaskier was dying slowly faded. He heaved a deep sigh and let go of Jaskier's hand, falling silent.

"Is that why you've been ignoring dad?" Ciri asked.

Jaskier reached out to grab Geralt's hand again. "I…I haven't been ignoring you. Promise," he whispered. "I've been so busy answering emails and traveling and doing interviews that I haven't had time to check my phone."

Geralt glanced at Jaskier, his resolve to try to hold a grudge against him for this already cracking at the vulnerable look on his face. "...I'm glad you're not dying," he muttered.

Jaskier smiled at him, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "I'm glad too."

"There has to be some agent out there that doesn't believe the shit your ex manager is talking about you!" Ciri huffed.

"Language," Geralt muttered.

Jaskier shook his head. "Even if they didn't believe it, Countess has a large influence on the industry. No agency wants to pick me up, it'll ruin their reputation."

Ciri didn't seem convinced. "There has to be someone! You can't keep collapsing and ending up in the hospital! What does a manager even do that's so important?"

"They're a filter to the outside world for me, really," Jaskier mused. "Some fans can be…a bit much. They're the ones that say no to things that may not be worth my time. They also keep track of my schedule and schedule me for interviews, make sure I'm where I need to be when I need to be there, make sure I'm presentable for whatever I'm about to do, that sort of thing. It's all terribly boring, and a lot of work."

Ciri glanced at Geralt. "You know a lot about terribly boring work and saying no to people."

"I know nothing about scheduling," Geralt pointed out.

"It's not that hard to pick up. I've gotten a pretty good grasp on it these past two weeks," Jaskier added with a slight smirk.

Ciri grinned back at Jaskier. "How much does your agent get paid, anyways?"

"Ciri," Geralt warned, narrowing his eyes.

Jaskier looked at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Well, it depends on how much we agree on, how many concerts I do, that sort of thing. I was paying Countess, hmm…close to fifty thousand a year?" he mused nonchalantly.

Geralt choked.

"And," Jaskier continued, eyeing Geralt, "I never had Countess live with me, but I have heard rumors of others that have their managers living with them. So it would be free room and board if I fancied my new manager, and the new manager, and his daughter if he just so happened to have one, would be able to see me whenever I was home."

"No," Geralt growled, narrowing his eyes.

"Not to mention if my manager, say, scheduled out five hours for a 'meeting' with him that just so happened to be held at a nice romantic dinner, well, I can't argue with him can I?" Jaskier asked, giving Geralt's hand a small squeeze.

Geralt looked at the two pairs of eyes looking back at him expectantly and sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I don't have a choice in this, do I."

"You can say no if you really do not want to," Jaskier murmured, threading their fingers together. "But...I would love it if you gave it a try."

Geralt looked at Jaskier and Ciri, the two giving him wide doe eyes. "If your career bombs because of this, you can't blame me."

"Oh darling, I have full faith in you," Jaskier murmured, and the way he looked at Geralt made Geralt's chest twist and he glanced away.

"I…thought something changed," he admitted. "Thought I messed up, that you found someone more famous." _Someone better,_ his mind added.

"You could never be replaced Geralt," Jaskier murmured, reaching over to tilt Geralt's chin towards him to stare at him. "I'm sorry for not telling you. Will you please help? Be my manager?"

"Is it legal?" Geralt murmured. "Isn't there a conflict of interest, with us, er…"

"Dating?" Ciri filled in.

"Are we?" Jaskier asked, his eyes shining.

Geralt didn't know what to say. Did he want to put an official label on it? Pull Jaskier away from all of the rest of the fans and other celebrities who chased after him?

He thought back to the past two weeks. He thought back to the crushing ache in his chest at thinking Jaskier had gotten tired of him, of finding someone better. He cast his eyes down to where their hands were intertwined. Jaskier's hand fit so perfectly in his. He never wanted to let go.

"Yes," Geralt muttered. "If it's not a problem."

"It won't be. Nobody will have to know," Jaskier assured him softly. He gave Geralt's hand another small squeeze. "I'll be out tomorrow, okay? They just want me here one more night to make sure it really was me overworking myself on accident. I'll text you in the morning once I'm out, and we can figure out details then."

"Okay," Geralt murmured, though he made no move to let go of Jaskier's hand.

"Dad, I think he's telling us to get out," Ciri stage whispered to him.

"I know you two have your own things to do," Jaskier said, then looked at Geralt with a soft smile. "But, I did list you as my partner if you wanted to stay here longer."

"I'll get her back home and be back," Geralt promised. He looked at Ciri. "Can you wait in the hall for a moment?"

Ciri pouted but got up and left without a word. The closing of the door felt loud in Geralt's ears, and the silence stretched between them.

"Geralt? Is everything alright?" Jaskier asked. Geralt raised his eyes to meet Jaskier's gaze. How could the man look at him so _softly_?

"No," he replied simply, and squeezed Jaskier's hand before the singer could start to worry. "Dammit Jaskier, I thought you were _dying_."

Jaskier frowned and glanced away, curling in on himself slightly. "I'm sorry. I really only meant it as a joke."

"I know." Geralt moved closer and used his free hand to cup Jaskier's jaw, directing his gaze back towards him. "I..fuck, I felt _awful_."

"It's not your fault," Jaskier assured him, tilting his head to lean into the touch. His eyes fluttered shut as the tension melted from his shoulders, his breathing slow and steady.

He looked completely relaxed. Now was the perfect time. Geralt clenched his jaw, trying to swallow down the frustration. Why was this so hard? "Last time I saw you, I was a coward." He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "I don't want to be a coward again." He brushed his thumb lightly over Jaskier's lips. "May I?"

His heart, which had been so warm and so sure about this, shattered when Jaskier's eyes flew open and he recoiled away from Geralt, yanking his hand out of his grasp.

"I'm-- Geralt we, we really shouldn't--" he stammered, his face turning bright red. "Please stop looking at me like that, it's nothing against you! Or us!" he added quickly. "It's just, um…" He turned his head away and gave a shaky chuckle.

"I…have been a bit too busy for personal hygiene," he admitted. "My mouth is _disgusting_. I appreciate the sentiment, I do, but I don't want our first kiss to taste like death because of me."

Geralt looked at him with wide eyes for several moments before a deep, rumbling laugh slowly shook its way out of him. "I can't believe you."

"I know, it's gross, but I promise I usually take care of myself!" Jaskier whined. "Tomorrow morning I'll be out and I'll brush my teeth and you can kiss me as much as you want."

Geralt hummed, a small smile on his face. Well, if he couldn't kiss him on the mouth… "What about here?" he asked as he grazed his fingers over Jaskier's forehead, brushing his bangs out of the way.

"Yes," Jaskier breathed, his eyes wide. Geralt leaned in and pressed his lips to Jaskier's forehead in a soft kiss. His heart begged for more. It had only been two weeks but it felt like a lifetime.

He brushed his thumb over Jaskier's cheek. "And here?"

Jaskier opened his mouth, clearly _trying_ to say something, but settled instead for a dumb nod. Geralt moved to brush his lips over Jaskier's cheek as his hand slipped over his shoulder and down his arm. He took Jaskier's hand in his own and brought it up slowly as he pulled away, and grazed his thumb over Jaskier's knuckles.

"Here?" Another nod. Another kiss. Geralt turned Jaskier's hand over to press a kiss to his palm, then over the pads of his fingers.

"You're making it very hard to not kiss you for both of our sakes," Jaskier whispered, his voice strained.

"One more," Geralt promised, leaning in again. He let his breath ghost over Jaskier's neck. He delighted in the shudder he felt Jaskier give. "Okay?"

" _Yes_ ," Jaskier said, and Geralt leaned in to just barely brush his lips over Jaskier's pulse before pressing a firmer kiss to his skin. He pulled away just enough to sit up and press their foreheads together, cradling Jaskier's face in his hands.

"Don't scare me like that again," he muttered, and Jaskier laughed.

"I won't," he promised. "Ciri's probably getting impatient."

Geralt reluctantly pulled away and stood. "I'll be back soon. Do you want anything?"

"Chocolate?" Jaskier asked, looking up at him with those doe eyes, and Geralt smiled.

"Fine."

"You're the best manager there is," Jaskier cooed.

Geralt sighed, though there was a smile on his face. "I know."


	11. Chocolate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry about the temporary disappearance! I'm in uni and my capstone project's deadline was fast approaching. But that's out of the way now, so back to your regularly scheduled fluff!

Geralt realized his mistake as he stood in the middle of the store, staring at the large wall of sweets. He had no idea what kind of chocolate Jaskier liked. He stared with a furrowed brow at it all. Jaskier was a bit of a celebrity, right?

A quick search on his phone revealed an interview that Jaskier had, in fact, been asked about his favorite kind of chocolates, but he had said that he loved anything sweet. Well that was unhelpful.

He tried to find another page that might have even hinted at something that Jaskier preferred. He found a page that had an odd amount of detail on his personal life, even his body measurements, including…his biceps? Geralt shut his phone off. He would just get a variety.

With a bag filled with far too many different kinds of chocolate, he headed back outside and slipped into the backseat of the driver's car again. "Back to the hospital," he grunted. "You can go home after that. I'm staying the night there."

"Are you sure?" the driver asked, and Geralt gave him a harsh glare through the mirror.

"You aren't getting paid for your opinion. Take me to the hospital."

"Very well."

When they got back to the hospital, Geralt only gave him a nod before stepping out of the car with the bag. He strode inside and right past the desk to Jaskier's room, where the man laid snoring softly on the bed.

Of course the idiot was fast asleep.

Geralt crept in as quietly as he could, setting the bag next to the bed. He pulled up a chair and leaned back in it, getting comfortable. It was hard to sleep, now that he had Jaskier in front of him again and he knew that he was alright. He would end up having a talk with the idiot about his sense of humor.

He spared a glance at Jaskier. The singer seemed well enough, and he had run himself ragged with all of the attention, so it wasn't like he was wanting for lack of work. But what if he accidentally pushed Jaskier to exhaustion again? He found he hated the sight of him sound asleep in the sterile environment. It didn't look comfortable. Jaskier looked stiff, stressed even in his sleep.

Geralt leaned in and gently brushed his fingers along Jaskier's cheek and jawline. "Hey, Jaskier," he whispered.

"Hmm?" Jaskier slowly blinked awake, his eyes unfocused for a brief moment before his gaze fell back on Geralt. "Oh, you're back."

"I am." Geralt held up the bag to show him. "Want some chocolate?"

"Yes please," Jaskier said, instantly awake and making grabby hands for the bag. He rifled through it when Geralt handed it over, his eyes light with excitement. He pulled out a bar and immediately set to unwrapping it. He broke off the first row, then broke that into the smaller sections to hold a piece out to Geralt.

"Have some," he offered. Geralt frowned. He tried to stay away from sugar and sweets, but how was he to deny Jaskier when he was looking at him so hopefully? He took the piece and popped it into his mouth.

"Making sure it's not poisoned?" he asked as he watched Jaskier start to pop the pieces of chocolate one by one into his mouth.

"I'm trying to be nice and _share_ ," Jaskier replied with a pout.

"Hm." Geralt looked down and unlocked his phone as he let the chocolate melt in his mouth. Well, while he had time to kill, he might as well figure out what to do with his current job, and his new one.

"I'll pay you back."

His head immediately snapped up at the soft murmur from the bed, his eyes meeting Jaskier's.

The singer looked guilty as he looked away from Geralt, shifting a bit. "For the chocolate," he added. "You didn't have to get so much."

"I didn't know what kind you liked best," Geralt answered simply. "What you don't want, Ciri can give to her friends." He quirked his lips up in what he hoped was a teasing smile. "Teenagers will eat anything free, especially if it's got sugar."

Jaskier laughed softly at that, the light returning to his eyes a bit. "Ah, that's true." He hummed and popped another piece into his mouth before holding another piece out for Geralt. Geralt reached to take the piece, only for Jaskier to pull it away.

"Open," Jaskier instructed, a glint in his eyes. Geralt looked at him with a furrowed brow but opened his mouth. Jaskier beamed and gingerly placed the chocolate on his tongue for him, and pulled his hand away while Geralt ate the chocolate.

"Good?"

Geralt gave a small nod in response and looked back to his phone. He nearly choked when he realized he hadn't closed out of the page that had far too much information about Jaskier. It even had a couple of photos of certain angles. Someone gave his arse a 7/10.

"Looking at more porn?" Jaskier asked as he popped another piece of chocolate in his mouth.

"Might as well be," Geralt scoffed as he closed out of the page.

"Oh?" Jaskier tried to lean over to look, but the page was already gone. The browser switched to one of the other tabs Geralt hadn't bothered to close, which was…

Oh.

That was actual porn.

Geralt turned his phone off before the video could play, but it was obvious Jaskier had already seen what had loaded by how wide his eyes were. Geralt stared back with equally wide eyes, feeling like maybe he should have let the driver wait for him. Then he could have left, blocked Jaskier's number in his phone, and never thought about it again.

He was working on the explanation he would give Ciri as to why Jaskier was never around anymore and why they could never go to a concert again, when his thoughts were sliced by Jaskier's light laughter.

"Well. I know what I'm doing later," the singer said with an unashamed grin. Geralt could only manage a small grunt in response as he looked anywhere but at Jaskier, unable to trust his voice.

"Geralt?" Jaskier asked, leaning over to wave his hand in front of Geralt's face. "Hey. Nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Forget it happened," Geralt managed to grumble.

Jaskier shrugged it off and settled back against the bed with his chocolate once more. "Okay." He held out another piece. "Want more?"

Geralt took the chocolate without another word, trying to will the heat on his face away. Jaskier seemed to stay quiet too, and he pulled out his own phone to tap at it silently.

"The job," Geralt spoke up suddenly, and Jaskier lifted his gaze from his phone.

"Yes?" he asked. Something about his smile seemed off. "You really can say no if you don't want to, I understand it's not for everyone--"

"I want to," Geralt interrupted, and the tension melted from Jaskier's shoulders again. "I…don't know what to do."

"It's easy, I promise."

"You're in the hospital right now because of it."

"Because I was doing that on top of being me," Jaskier pointed out. He reached out and took Geralt's hand. "I know you'll do a fantastic job, darling."

"Hm." Geralt couldn't help but give Jaskier's hand a small squeeze at that. The contact was nice. Jaskier's hand, warm in his own, reminded him that the singer was alright. That he was here, he was okay, and he hadn't been ignoring him in favor of someone more suited for him. Geralt brought Jaskier's hand up to press a kiss to his knuckles once more.

Jaskier slipped his hand out of Geralt's loose grasp, and Geralt looked up with a furrowed brow. Before he could say anything though, Jaskier spoke up. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I just want--" He paused and hesitated for a brief moment before tossing the bag of chocolates onto the floor next to the bed, then opened his arms to Geralt.

"Come here," he whispered, in a voice that was so soft Geralt would never have been able to find it in himself to say no, even if he wanted to.

Geralt found himself slowly climbing onto the bed, making sure not to crush Jaskier or anything hooked up to him. It took some awkward shuffling that resulted in a few quiet laughs when knees or elbows knocked together, but eventually they settled with Jaskier curled up and his head pillowed on Geralt's stomach while Geralt stayed half upright, propped up by pillows and head of the bed tilted up.

Geralt brushed his fingers through Jaskier's hair, feeling his heart melt a bit when Jaskier shuffled to get closer. "Comfortable?" he murmured.

"Mhm," came the soft reply. Jaskier hadn't even opened his eyes or looked up. "Thank you."

"Get some sleep," Geralt rumbled. The hospital bed really was uncomfortable, he hoped Jaskier had a better one at home. He would make sure the singer stayed in it all day.

He pushed that thought away, derailing it before it could even leave the station. Not in an inappropriate way, only making sure he rested comfortably in a pile of blankets and pillows. Though Geralt could remember a few times of needing to relax and-- no. Just piling the singer with pillows and blankets and making sure he slept.

He felt Jaskier slowly relax curled up against him , and it was the most wonderful feeling. Geralt had a hard time sleeping around other people, but here with Jaskier…he felt his eyes slipping closed and he didn't try to fight it. He dozed off, keeping a hand laid on Jaskier's back to make sure he didn't get taken anywhere without him waking up.

\---

In the morning, Geralt was the first to be woken up by a nurse coming in to check on everything. He wasn't even sure if Jaskier was awake when the nurse gave him a small shake to ask him about a few things and check his vitals, he only gave soft, half-mumbled answers as he stayed snuggled with geralt. Geralt sighed and brushed his fingers through Jaskier's hair.

"Did he sleep well last night?" the nurse asked, turning to Geralt now.

"He didn't wake me up if he didn't," Geralt replied with a shrug.

"Good. He said he has been having trouble sleeping."

"Hm." Geralt looked down as Jaskier shifted to slowly sit up with a wince.

"Can I go home today?" he asked, looking at the nurse with bleary eyes.

"I'll bring the paperwork in a minute," the nurse assured him.

The rest of the morning was a whirlwind of activity after that. Papers were shoved at Jaskier for him to read over and sign, a couple of people talked to him to remind him of the importance of self care with both physical and mental health, and finally a few hours later he was released and walking outside to meet his driver with Geralt following behind.

"Come on, we can drop you off at your flat," Jaskier offered as he climbed into the car. Geralt frowned and stepped in the car as well.

"I'll come with you," he muttered. When Jaskier looked at him surprised, he cleared his throat. "You need a good meal."

Jaskier's eyes lit up. "Are you offering to cook for me?"

Geralt shrugged and glanced out the window with a soft hum. "You didn't cover everything I need to know about the job."

Jaskier threw his arms around him and grinned. "I would love to have you come over," he cooed, then looked to his driver. "To my house then!"


	12. Freshen Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhhh we're getting close to the end and i dont know how to feel about that
> 
> i might need to bother people for longfic ideas because what am i supposed to do with my time and one (1) brain cell once this is over

They stopped by Geralt's flat briefly so that Geralt could get into new clothes and his teeth brushed. When they got to Jaskier's house, Geralt wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it was both surprising and not.

The house itself looked very cozy and normal from the outside, it was only a bit larger than a typical house. There was nothing remarkable about the exterior, nothing that showed a famous popstar lived there.

Jaskier stretched with a content hum as he led the way inside the house. "I think a shower is definitely in order," he mused, though Geralt barely heard him.

It was clear just how rough things had been for Jaskier the past two weeks. Takeout boxes and dishes were littered everywhere. Nothing that was absolutely disgusting, at least not that he could see, but it wasn't pleasant. The house smelled strongly of old food because of it.

"Sorry, it's uh, been…hard," Jaskier admitted quietly, looking around as if he was just now noticing exactly how much of a mess his place was. He cleared his throat and draped an arm around Geralt's shoulders. "How about I get into something more comfortable, maybe…take a long, hot shower?"

"Good idea," Geralt agreed, letting Jaskier take his bag from him. He stepped away and looked around. "I'll clean up down here and get a meal ready."

"Ah." Jaskier wrung his hands a bit as he stood there for a beat longer than necessary. "Right. I'll be back down in a bit then."

"Have fun," was all Geralt grunted as he went off in search of a bin to collect all of the trash in.

"Oh I will," Jaskier called back with a grin, trying to put his most flirtatious tone into it, but still no response. He pouted as he went upstairs into the shower and turned it on to let the water heat up. He stripped out of his clothes and stepped into the shower with a plan. Well, he would just have to get Geralt up here himself. He leaned back against the wall and swept away the hair sticking to his forehead before closing his eyes, taking a deep breath, and trailing his hand down, down…

Geralt hummed along to Jaskier’s playing in his headphones, which spurred him on to clean while some pasta cooked. If there was a groan too loud to be the house settling, or a sudden muffled cry of his name, it blended in with Jaskier’s singing and he didn't hear it.

Jaskier stumbled down a while later, surprised at how much cleaning Geralt had gotten done while he was in the shower. Was he in there for that long? A fully prepared dining table with a new cloth spread over it and some ice water clearly said yes. He slumped into one of the chairs.

"I thought you drowned," Geralt said as he strolled in, slipping off the plastic gloves he wore and tossing them away to take his headphones out. "Do you feel better?"

Jaskier stared at him with wide eyes, bewildered. Did he know? Did he _hear_? Why didn't he do anything? But Geralt didn't act any different, and the question was said so nonchalantly… "Yeah," he finally choked out, his face red.

He tried to shake it off as Geralt set a plate full of spaghetti in front of him. Oh, that was a lot, and it smelled so good. There were pieces of chicken in it too. His mouth watered, but... "Ah, if you're going to be cooking for me then as my manager you…you should be making sure I keep my figure in mind," he spoke up with a glance to Geralt.

Geralt paused only for a moment and looked back at him. "I am," he said. "You've been eating like shit. You need protein and carbs or else you're going to be a useless pile of shit with no energy."

"Oh." Jaskier looked down and smiled a little. "Where'd you learn that?"

"It's important to know," was all Geralt muttered.

"Yes, I suppose that's true," Jaskier agreed before trying a bite, his earlier embarrassment forgotten. He was planning on perhaps being a bit melodramatic, since Geralt didn't hear him he clearly would just have to get his attention by being in his line of sight. To poke around at his food, his chin propped in one hand with a pout on his face as he stared morosely down at his plate. Until Geralt notices and asks what's wrong, and Jaskier would give a deep sigh and say that it was nothing, truly, but it's just so _lonely_ in this house by himself, and he's not looking forward to going back to that silence.

Then Geralt would suggest staying the day, or maybe Jaskier would have to suggest it before Geralt agrees, and before they know it it'd be too dark for Geralt to go back _now_ , so he might as well stay the night. But oh, Jaskier wasn't expecting company, he never picked up a replacement pump for the blowup mattress and the couch really isn't long enough for someone as tall as either of them to sleep comfortably on. Luckily his bed was plenty big enough for both of them, right? Right.

"I'm not a professional chef," Geralt spoke up, bursting Jaskier's daydream.

Jaskier blinked a couple times and looked up in surprise. "What?"

Geralt frowned and glanced away. "If you don't like it, I can order something. Thought a homemade meal would be good."

Now Jaskier was more confused. "No, I just, um…" He trailed off, the rehearsed script he went over in his head disappearing completely. "I got distracted for a moment." He took another bite, his eyes lighting up as he realized that oh, Geralt was a _fantastic_ cook, and he was really hungry.

"Oh this is wonderful," he whispered, looking at Geralt with a smile. "Better than some of the five star restaurants I've eaten at, darling."

Geralt grunted and averted his eyes. "Just eat."

Jaskier didn't need to be told twice, now that he was far too aware of how hungry he was. He immediately set on eating like it was going to be the last meal he would have. He made a note in the back of his mind to let Geralt cook for him more often.

"If you don't mind," Geralt muttered, pulling Jaskier's attention away from the delicious food, "I would like to stay for a short while."

Jaskier brightened up. He didn't even have to say anything! The universe must have been smiling down at him today. "Yes of course, you're welcome to stay as long as you want. Overnight, even."

Geralt gave him an odd look. "I just want to go over more about being your manager. I won't be here for long."

Well. Geralt was staying longer, that was good. But he was staying to talk about _work_. That wasn't good. That just wouldn't do. Jaskier hummed as he swallowed another bite of food. "Alright. But, ah, well. It gets really lonely around here you know…”

“Hmm.”

“And it was _really_ lonely in the hospital. Having you stay the night was the best night I had there,” he continued, pursing his lips.

“You’re not supposed to have fun in a hospital, you’re supposed to get better and get out.”

Jaskier pretended he didn’t hear that. “It’s just so hard when nobody treats you like a person, you know? Nobody is excited to see _me_ , they’re excited to see the popstar Jaskier.”

“Their loss.”

“Yes yes, they all miss out on what a delight I am actually, but I also miss out on precious human interaction.”

“It’s overrated.”

This was...not going nearly as well as he thought. “I don’t think so. It’s quite nice to be able to curl up in bed with someone…” Jaskier mused, twirling his fork between his fingers after he took the last bite off his plate. “Especially if that someone is big and strong, had a nice, deep voice to tell me all about how shit his day at work was like always…”

“Too bad my work isn’t shit anymore,” Geralt hummed, and Jaskier looked up to see a mischievous glint in Geralt’s eyes as a slight smile tugged at his lips. He pouted.

“Well. It's also nice to lay in bed with a big and strong man who tells me in his wonderfully deep voice how great his job is now," he said with a huff. "It's even better if that big and strong man was not _an arse_."

A hum. "You don't like it?"

"Wh-- Now hang on, I never said that," Jaskier defended, his cheeks flushing again. "It's lovely, yes, and I imagine it-- well. Point is, yes, you have a lovely arse, but you are also one."

"No no, go on," Geralt said, leaning forward slightly. "What was that?"

"I…Your job!" Jaskier suddenly blurted out with a shaky laugh. "How about we, ah..sit on the couch with a bottle of wine and talk about your job as my new manager?"

"Hmm." Geralt stood and collected their plates, and was he purposefully sticking out his hips more than necessary as he rinsed them off? What a bastard.

Jaskier got up to open the cabinet he kept all of his alcohol in, but Geralt stopped him with a hand gripped around his arm.

"Go sit and wait for me on the couch. You need to take it easy," he instructed.

Jaskier whined, but obeyed anyways with a pout. No matter, he can do this completely sober.

While Geralt finished cleaning up, Jaskier went about planning. He drew all of the curtains on the windows and turned the lights on dimmed so the room was bathed in a warm orange glow. He went and retrieved a mint just to make sure, then took the pack with him just to make double sure.

He plopped down on the couch and undid the top few buttons on his shirt before sprawling out against the couch to wait. Thankfully it wasn't long before Geralt came into the room and sat down next to him, though he gave a look at the lights.

"Do you have a headache?" he asked.

"No, just thought it would make things more comfortable," Jaskier purred as he scooted closer. "You don't have to sit so far away, my breath shouldn't smell bad anymore." Their thighs brushed, and Geralt didn't pull away. That was a good sign, right?

“I made a list of things to discuss,” Geralt said, as if he didn’t even notice the contact. Well, it was better than him being repulsed and immediately drawing away.

“Let’s hear it.” Jaskier settled against the couch, spreading his arms across the back. Geralt settled back as well as he pulled the list up on his phone. Jaskier’s fingers just barely brushed against the back of his neck.

“Do I go with you to everything?”

That made Jaskier’s heart break a little. Right, Geralt didn’t like his singing. Of course he wouldn’t want to go to his concerts unless he had to. “No, not unless you want to,” he assured him. “Though I usually get a room of sorts to clean up in. You can stay there. Most concert venues have a dressing room far from the main stage, so you shouldn’t be able to hear me from there.”

“And if you collapse on stage?”

“Security. Ah, that’s part of the initial..arranging. It’s not difficult to negotiate with the venue, they should provide it.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s alright, you don’t have to like my singing. If that’s what you’re worried about. I know it’s not for everyone.”

Geralt looked at him with a light frown. “I never said that, did I?”

“You only said you liked ‘Her Sweet Kiss’. Ciri told me you weren’t a fan of my music.”

“Hm.” Geralt shuffled a bit, his thigh now pressed fully against Jaskier’s. “It’s grown on me.”

“Ah.” Jaskier felt his face heat up at hearing that. “Well. I suppose an opinion can change in two weeks.”

“I said nothing. That was Ciri.”

“Right. Wait…” Jaskier pulled away as he suddenly realized. “Where is Ciri? Is she alright? She’s not home alone is she? She’s welcome over here, my driver can get her.”

“She’s at her mother’s.” Geralt set his phone aside and moved closer, his hand coming to rest on Jaskier’s hip. He cleared his throat and turned to face Jaskier. “So...You don’t taste like death anymore?”

Oh. Jaskier isn’t sure if his heart was hammering fast in his chest or if it had completely stopped. “Y-Yes..?”

Geralt brought his other hand up to cup Jaskier’s jaw, and his thumb moved to brush across Jaskier’s bottom lip. Jaskier suppressed a shudder at the memory of Geralt doing the same thing last night. “May I?”

Jaskier tried to open his mouth, to respond, but he felt choked up. He couldn’t speak, so he closed his mouth again, licked his lips briefly, and leaned forward to pull Geralt into a kiss. His hands came up to rest lightly on Geralt’s shoulders as their lips slotted together, a soft hum escaping him. He pulled away just enough to get a breath before Geralt pulled him back in, his mouth opening easily at a slight flick of Geralt’s tongue.

He had kissed other people before of course, but this...this put all past experiences to shame. He couldn’t stop his fingers from dancing down along Geralt’s arms, his chest, anywhere he could reach. When Geralt moved him into laying on the couch, Jaskier felt he could die. His fingers splayed across the muscles of Geralt’s back as the breath was stolen from him with another kiss, and another. He slid his hands down, giving Geralt plenty of time to stop him if he wanted, but when no objection came and instead Geralt arched into the touch, Jaskier cupped his behind and gave a small squeeze.

“Just as I thought,” he whispered, a cheeky grin on his face. “ _Very_ lovely.”

Geralt gave a small grunt at that and pulled away to sit up, giving a sharp look at Jaskier when the singer gave a pitiful whine. “The doctor said to rest.”

He really was not going to survive this man. “At least come back and kiss me some more?” he asked with a pout. He didn’t miss the way Geralt’s lips turned up slightly at that, and he certainly didn’t miss it when that slight smile was pressed against his own in a much more chaste kiss.

Geralt pulled away again with a wince, and Jaskier opened his eyes to see him rolling his shoulder.

“Everything okay?”

“Your couch is too damn small.” Before Jaskier could even recommend moving, Geralt stood and gathered him in his arms to heft him up. “Where’s your bed?”

Jaskier could just barely squeak out the directions as Geralt carried him up to his room. He wheezed when he was laid down on the bed and wiggled a bit.

“Give a guy some--” he started, only for his voice to die once more when Geralt laid down next to him and slung an arm over his waist.

“You were saying?” Geralt murmured, with that barely-there smile again.

“You bastard,” Jaskier breathed before grabbing Geralt’s face and yanking him in for another kiss.

There was no way he was ever going to survive this man but oh, what a way to go.


	13. Movie Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for your patience! sorry this chapter took so long to finish. go check out the art in chapter 5 that I commissioned from marbledgummies2 on tumblr!!
> 
> also speaking of art...so funny story time. i had originally started this fic based on art i saw. and i didnt mention it because i didnt know fandom etiquette at the time to, yknow, _actually fucking ask to write fic based on someone else's art_ but i thought its okay! my fic wont get that popular anyways! if i just say nothing, nobody will connect the dots! haha spoiler alert no, quite a few people connected the dots, and some of you mental fuckers commented on the art saying "hey this reminds me of a fic on ao3 called idolize!" and after seeing one of these comments (and checking other social media and seeing similar comments) i figured i should probably?? say something.
> 
> So a big thank you and simultaneous bigger apology to AlyssaTies who made [this beautiful art](https://alyssaties.tumblr.com/post/190976735072/shell-destroy-with-her-sweet-kiss-her-sweet) that kicked off this huge clusterfuck. 
> 
> Without further ado here's the newest chapter!

> @jaskierofficial, 9:23am  
> Hello everyone! I've been busy with some things behind the scenes, don't be worried!
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 9:35am  
> I did go on a date with mystery hot guy, but that wasn't the reason I disappeared for two weeks. I wish it was.
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 9:36am  
> OH MY GOD I FORGOT TO TELL YOU GUYS HE SUGGESTED A WINTER WEDDING
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 9:37am  
> HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO HANDLE THAT
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 9:37am  
> he's very unfair
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 10:04am  
> oh but he is the reason I'm tweeting so late in the day. Don't tell him I told you that.
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 10:39am  
> k i asked him how much i could talk about our first date and he grumbled and snuggled back into bed so that's a yes
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 10:40am  
> first thing I need to stress: HE IS RIDICULOUSLY ATTRACTIVE. the fact that he wasn't already taken was the worst and best news ever to me because COME ON how could he not be taken
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 10:42am  
> but he was so shy!!!! he gave me a lot of personal space even though I TOLD him I was very into the idea of tapping that
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 10:44am  
> no I didn't get to tap it after all I got something better ok
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 10:46 am  
> I got to cuddle up with him IN HIS CLOTHES because the genius mastermind I am, I wore clothes that were uncomfortable and instead of offering to take them off ;) he GAVE ME HIS CLOTHES INSTEAD
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 10:47am  
> and we ate greasy pizza and had some shitty show playing but who cares about that
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 10:48am  
> He was able to PICK ME UP LIKE I WEIGHED NOTHING. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 10:50am  
> Then he asked me what I find sexy in a man. Mystery hot guy have you looked in a mirror? That's my type. Right there.
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 11:02am  
> no that's not all that happened but he just woke up and I was attacked and killed with kisses. I accept my fate.
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 12:45pm  
> ok im back. I was told to not give details about why I was gone for an hour and a half. i wasnt told to not say what DIDNT happen though
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 12:47pm  
> breakfast didnt happen. Breakfast is now happening as I type. hes a great cook
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 12:50pm  
> oh and going back to slee} didntsvddvssl%::5'6(!
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 1:07pm  
> i have been told to not say what didn't happen this morning either. he may or may not have threatened me very thoroughly. i cannot confirm nor deny this ;)
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 1:14pm  
> anyways back to the first date
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 1:15pm  
> so asking what I find sexy in a man. who the fuck does that???? SOMEONE WHO WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT THE DATE GOING PERFECTLY THAT HE LOOKED UP TIPS FOR A GOOD FIRST DATE.
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 1:17pm  
> now u guys know why I was planning a wedding the morning after
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 1:19pm  
> especially bc we fell asleep on the couch snuggling and he let me stay the night when we woke up at 2 in the morning
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 1:21pm  
> he gave me his bed and plugged my phone in for me
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 1:22pm  
> he made me and his daughter pancakes in the morning like the perfect husband material he is
> 
> @jaskierofficial, 1:25pm  
> i was told to "get off my damn phone already" probably because he's feeling sad and lonely on the other end of the couch

Jaskier set his phone down to easily close the distance between them on the couch and snuggle up to Geralt's side. "Sorry," he murmured. "Couldn't tell the world enough of how great you are."

Geralt wrapped his arm around Jaskier and shifted to get more comfortable with him. "I think they get the idea. You fell entirely too hard for me in far too little time."

"I fell for you with my entire heart and soul from the first moment I laid eyes on you," Jaskier murmured, sitting up just enough to press a kiss to the corner of Geralt's mouth. He didn't miss the way Geralt's lips subtly curled up at that.

"I'm not a demon, I don't care about your soul."

"A shame, because my soul cares very much about you."

Geralt hummed a bit at that, and a light pink was tinging his cheeks. Jaskier settled back against him and looked back down at his phone. He only managed to turn it on before it was yanked out of his hands and thrown onto the other end of the couch. He pouted up at Geralt. "What?"

"I wanted to talk with you," Geralt sighed, tucking a curl behind Jaskier's ear. The soft touch and tone of his voice made Jaskier instantly settle against him again, the phone easily forgotten.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Ciri's mother."

"Uh. Okay?" Jaskier looked up at him a furrowed brow. "Why?"

"She has a wife, named Triss."

"I'm still not following."

Geralt sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Remember when Ciri offered you to stay for movie night?"

Jaskier thought for a second, then lit up. "Oh! Yes! Is it movie night again?"

"It will be, tomorrow. At Triss and Yen's place. Yennefer is Ciri's mother."

"So you're Ciri's father, but Ciri also has a mother who is a woman named Yennefer, who is already married to a woman named Triss." Jaskier counted off on his fingers.

"Yennefer and I were together. Years ago," Geralt explained. "She and I still get along well enough. But..she might have some things to say about you. Ciri's been good, she hasn't told Yennefer and Triss about you. But Yennefer's way of teasing can be vicious. She has a cruel sense of humor. Don't let it get to you."

"Can't be any worse than the paparazzi," Jaskier hummed, trailing his fingers along Geralt's jaw. "What about Triss?"

"She's sweet but just as dangerous as Yennefer. She won't say anything to your face as long as you're polite to her. Probably."

"I'll behave," Jaskier promised with a kiss to Geralt's cheek.

* * *

Geralt tried his best to get ready to make sure Jaskier behaved for an entire night. He was glad that for all of Jaskier's quirks, being late wasn't one of them. He showed up to Geralt's place early enough for Geralt to scold him lightly for his outfit and insist he change out of the pastel yellow shorts-- if they could even be called shorts, they barely covered anything-- and the light blue tank top that had a large, sparkly daisy on the front.

However, giving Jaskier his own clothes to wear proved to be a mistake. As soon as Jaskier changed in the bathroom and stepped out, Geralt thought his heart stopped at the way the just barely too big clothes looked on him. Not too big that they would scandalize if Jaskier didn't keep them held up, but enough that it was a cute kind of disheveled. A voice in the back of his mind suggested staying in, missing movie night at Yen's and instead having their own private movie night at his place.

But Ciri was always so excited about it, and it would be wrong to interrupt the tradition. He shook off the temptation and straightened out his own black tee. "Ready to go?"

"Of course," Jaskier purred, hooking their arms together and pressing a kiss to the corner of Geralt's mouth.

Geralt felt his cheeks heat up and he pushed down the temptation again. "Don't be so sappy in front of them. I'll never hear the end of it from Yennefer," he grumbled as he grabbed his keys and led Jaskier out of the flat. He grabbed the musician's hand and intertwined their fingers after locking the door, feeling a warmth go through him at the weight and gentle grip of Jaskier's hand in his own.

The trip to Yennefer's place wasn't eventful, most people didn't look at them long enough to realize who he was with. Not to mention with Jaskier not being his usual flashy self, most people didn't even look at them. More time for Geralt to spend looking at Jaskier himself, then. He really did look good in Geralt's clothes. Geralt filed that thought away for another time.

He took a breath before he knocked firmly on the door. Ciri flung open the door, a loud gasp escaping her. “Jaskier! You're here too!” she cheered.

“Geralt actually brought someone along?” a voice called from inside. Geralt bristled as Ciri led them inside, and Lambert and Eskel were lounging on the couch already with three large bowls of popcorn on the coffee table in front of them. Triss and Yennefer's cats were curled up all over Eskel, two on his lap while the third curled behind his neck and purred.

"How much is he paying you?" Lambert snickered.

Jaskier scoffed. "More than you could afford."

" _Jaskier_ ," Geralt hissed, giving his hand a squeeze before frowning at Lambert. "He's my, er..boyfriend."

"Oh is he the one you kicked Ciri out for?" Eskel spoke up, and Geralt cringed at the memory.

"Why yes I am!" Jaskier announced proudly with a puff of his chest. "But I will have you know it would have been unnecessary, I enjoy Ciri's company just as much." He ruffled Ciri's hair and Ciri beamed.

"Do you recognize him?" she asked, bouncing a little. Her bouncing paused when Eskel and Lambert only gave her blank stares. "He's _Jaskier_! He's a famous singer!"

"None of that," Jaskier assured her with a small laugh. "I'm just a normal person here."

Yennefer walked in, holding a plate full of neatly arranged cookies. "If I heard you right, then nothing about you is normal if you're Geralt's boyfriend."

"Yennefer," Geralt clarified at the confused look from Jaskier. He cleared his throat and tugged Jaskier over to the couch. Lambert scooted over towards the arm of the couch just barely. "Only room for one here," he said, as if he wasn't taking up the space for two people. He held a hand out to Jaskier. "Name's Lambert. Why don't you sit? Geralt you can take the floor."

"But, uh--" Jaskier spared a look at the empty loveseat sitting next to the couch. As if in answer, Yennefer pointedly sat down on it after setting the plate of cookies on the coffee table. He looked at Geralt.

"I guess if you're okay with the--!" His voice raised an octave in surprise when in one swoop, Geralt wrapped his arms around Jaskier's waist and fell back on the couch in the space between Lambert and Eskel, taking Jaskier with him. The musician sprawled on Geralt's lap, his face burning. He shifted to get comfortable against Geralt's chest while Lambert made fake gagging noises.

"Cute," Eskel noted with a small smile.

"I could say the same about you. What's your name, handsome?" Jaskier cooed, batting his eyes at the scarred man.

Eskel cleared his throat and pointedly ducked his head down to focus on the cats in his lap. "Eskel."

"Ooh, tough."

"Congratulations, you've found Eskel's weak spot," Geralt mused, resting his cheek against Jaskier's shoulder. "I saw him first."

"I know, damn," Eskel muttered, and cleared his throat as he looked back up at Jaskier with a grin. "But, well, if he doesn't treat you right--"

"Don't even think about it," Geralt interrupted with a light kick to Eskel's legs.

"You aren't known for being the most emotionally available," Eskel fired back.

"It's true," Yennefer spoke up from the loveseat.

Geralt growled and tightened his grip on Jaskier. "I'm not."

"It took you three months of dates before you had even wanted to hold my hand," Yennefer pointed out.

"Every time someone flirted with you, you glared at them until they went away," Ciri piped up as she took a handful of popcorn.

"It took you thinking I was dying before you tried to kiss me," Jaskier added.

"Get his ass!" Lambert said in between fits of cackling laughter, slumped against the arm of the couch.

Triss walked in with a second plate of cookies, her dark, curly hair tied back. The poor hair tie seemed ready to burst. She paused at the scene of the stranger on Geralt's lap, Lambert about to die of laughing too much, and Ciri and Yennefer shooting sharp glares at Geralt.

"Um." She hesitantly set down the second plate of cookies down on the coffee table and sat down next to Yennefer. Yennefer moved to curl up against her, but was quickly jostled and fell on the couch as Triss gasped and leaned forward to point at Jaskier.

"You--!"

"He is! It's Jaskier!" Ciri cried, bouncing a bit. Triss stared between Jaskier and Geralt, her dark eyes wide. Jaskier smiled sheepishly and hunched his shoulders a bit as he waved.

"Hi," he said, shifting a bit to try to lean closer against Geralt. Geralt tightened his grip on his waist to comfort him.

"I'm Triss. Ciri introduced me to your music!" Triss said. "I _love_ it."

Jaskier smiled more. "Thank you."

"Really! The way your voice has such a range--"

"Are we watching a movie or are we going to sit here and suck Geralt's boyfriend's dick all night?" Lambert interrupted.

"I wouldn't mind that," Eskel mused, only to get another swift kick from Geralt. "Ow."

"Gross," Ciri piped up, scrunching her face at Lambert.

"The movie," Yennefer said with a deep, long-suffering sigh.

"Please," Lambert grumbled in agreement as Ciri snatched up the remote and turned the TV on. The movie started playing after that, though Geralt never paid much attention to them anyways. Especially not now, when he had Jaskier's back pressed against his chest, and he could wrap his arms around Jaskier's waist and nose at his hair.

Lambert eventually moved to stretch out on the floor on his stomach next to Ciri, so Jaskier moved off of Geralt's lap to take Lambert's spot. Then Eskel moved to sit on the floor with a wink at Geralt, who didn't understand until he moved to give Jaskier some room and Jaskier pouted and made grabby hands for him. He moved to scoot back over next to Jaskier again, only for his boyfriend to gently maneuver him into laying down, his head pillowed on Jaskier's thighs.

Geralt tried to watch the movie a bit after that, it seemed like it was getting a bit interesting after all, but Jaskier brushed his fingers so gently through his hair and it was too soothing. He found himself curling up and snuggling down a bit before he quickly dozed off.

* * *

"Okay. Talk."

Jaskier snapped out of his focus when the movie was paused, and he looked around confused to see everyone else staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"What?" he whispered, trying to keep his voice down.

"Who the fuck are you?" Lambert asked as he propped himself up on an arm.

"I'm Jaskier. We already did our introductions, didn't we?"

"Geralt doesn't _date_ ," Yennefer whispered, and she rolled her eyes. "He isn't one for romance. So how did he end up getting with a famous singer?"

"I..don't know? I saw him in a café, and..I guess I was smitten ever since." Jaskier smiled and brushed his fingers through Geralt's hair. "I like to think it was the same for him."

"No way," Lambert scoffed. "You're not even Geralt's type."

Jaskier bristled. "And what _is_ his type?"

"Crazy. Can and will kill him," Eskel said bluntly, and shrugged at the glare Yennefer sent him.

"Hey leave off, I know dad loves him," Ciri protested. "They're sappy and gross when they think they're alone."

"Geralt doesn't _do_ sappy," Lambert retorted.

"He does with me," Jaskier murmured. He smiled down at his boyfriend and brushed a long lock of hair away from his face.

"Well, I personally think it's wonderful that Geralt's finally found someone," Triss said gently, and the smile stayed on her face even as her gaze hardened. "But I think I speak for all of us that if something goes wrong and you hurt him, you'll find all of us and more on your heels."

The two brothers nodded in agreement and Ciri puffed up proudly. "I already told him that," she said.

"I promised I never would even let the thought of hurting him pass through my mind," Jaskier murmured, brushing his thumb over Geralt's cheek. He saw Geralt's eyelids flutter but stay closed, and got an idea.

"Besides, I don't know who would hurt him," he sighed. "Really, he's the most handsome man I've seen. He's so strong…" He smiled as he remembered their first date, of Geralt scooping him up. "Did you know he's able to carry me like I weigh nothing?"

"You're as thin as a sheet of paper, Ciri could probably pick you up," Lambert retorted.

"Mm I suppose, but there's a difference between being able to pick someone up and being able to carry them." Jaskier sighed wistfully and twisted a lock of hair around his finger. "And the way he's so gentle and soft, I can tell he gets so nervous sometimes but when he gives me that rare smile, I feel like I can take on the world."

"Soft and smiling? Are we talking about the same Geralt?" Yennefer snorted.

"If you mean the one that's curled up in my lap like a cat and pretending to still be asleep, yes," Jaskier said with a bright grin. He received a grunt and a small slap in the thigh for that.

"Barely awake," Geralt muttered. He rolled over onto his stomach and flopped his arms over Jaskier's lap. "Stop giving him the shovel talk."

"It's the happiest you've been in a while," Eskel defended. "We want to make sure he doesn't try anything."

Jaskier smiled and ran his fingers up and down Geralt's back. At the content hum he got from his boyfriend, he pressed a bit harder to rub at any aches. "I would never."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment/kudos if you liked it, I thrive off of validation and it makes the creative juice go


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